Justice League: The Price of Tomorrow, pt 5
by CaedKunn
Summary: Lionel's plan is fully underway, Batman enlists Steve Trevor to help resuce Clark, and Superman struggles with his decision in the Phantom Zone.


**Justice League: The Price of Tomorrow**

**Part V**

**Washington DC**

Colonel Steve Trevor's eyes snapped open. The room was dark, the air was cool, and all he could hear was the dead silence of nothing. Until there was a soft rapping against his door.

His military instincts kicking into full gear, Trevor quickly rolled and ducked behind his hospital bed. His muscles flared in soreness, causing him to wince, but he quickly forgot about the pain as a thin sliver of light entered the room, and the door opened.

It was the middle of the night, but Washington is a city that never truly sleeps. Trevor learned long ago to always be alert and ready, knowing full well who and what could be lurking in the shadows.

The light poured in from the hallway outside, and a silhouetted figure appeared. To Trevor's surprise, the two guards assigned to watch - or guard- him were slouched unconscious in their chairs, their guns hanging carelessly at their sides.

Trevor swallowed and gripped the edge of the bed tightly. A part of him had expected this. He was too familiar with Washington's ways not to be; but another part of him was hoping it wouldn't come to this, that he'd be looked on with favor for all he'd done in service too his country.

But he shook those feeling aside as the silhouetted figure crept in closer, and began assessing what he was sure would be a fight for his life.

Trevor was good in a fight, but assassins today weren't likely to shoot or stab you with a knife They were trained to make their marks appear to have died of natural causes or accidents. Working with A.R.G.U.S., Trevor had developed a sense of paranoia that was almost instinctual, and as his role with A.R.G.U.S. diminished as his relationship with the Justice League became strained, Trevor's paranoid instincts had been on alert more and more.

They'd never been higher than in the last few weeks. With Anthony Cartwright oozing his way deeper and deeper into A.R.G.U.S' heart, his and Amanda Waller relationship had grown less trustworthy. Now, he had been relieved of his duty, the attack on A.R.G.U.S. used as a convenient excuse Cartwright had been waiting for. This meant Trevor was now a loose end.

He knew too much, about all the wrong things. Meta-humans, Military operations, and of course, his relationship with the Justice League, no matter how strained, all made him a liability.

But to his surprise, the assassin wasn't wearing typical dark fatigues, but strangely loose fitting clothing. And from the dangling strands of hair that glinted off the hallway light, Trevor could tell the assassin hadn't bothered to wear a mask either.

_Perhaps they don't think so highly of me._

Unsure of whether to be relieved, or insulted, another silhouette stepped into view. _That's more like it. _However, Trevor frowned when the other began rubbing his hands nervously together with his shoulders hunched tightly around his neck.

His draw dropped when they spoke. "This is his room right?" the second silhouette whispered as the first lifted his hands in front of him and stepped timidly into the darkness.

"It was the only one with guards," replied the first.

"Oh, god, don't remind me," said the second, causing Trevor to cock an eyebrow. "Where is he though?"

Trevor fought the urge to sigh, and tried to focus. If these were the assassins they'd sent after him, fine; he could make easy work of them and finally get out of this hospital room. Where he'd go and what he'd do, he didn't know, but he'd figure it out, he always did.

Slowly and carefully, Trevor slipped silently towards the end of the bed and crouched. He crept up to the privacy curtain, knowing his would be assassins would not see his shadow since the room was pitch black.

"Shh," said the first harshly. "You want the nurses to hear you?!." The first silhouette stepped nearly even with the bed, and Trevor couldn't hold back his sigh.

Worst assassins ever.

The first silhouette could barely manage a surprised yelp before Trevor had wrapped his arms tightly around his neck in a sleeper hold, and turned to face the other. The other cried out startled, and fell backwards onto the sink next to the door.

"SHHH," the first whispered harshly, despite the sleeper hold.

"SHHHHHH" whispered the other while struggling too his feet.

"SHHHH!" Trevor whispered, harshest of all, and not wanting the nurses to hear them either. The two froze, and Trevor said, "Who are you?!"

"Colonel Cartwright, Colonel Cartwright!" the second whispered nervously. "It's us! Mickelson and Day."

Trevor's eyes went wide as he recognized the voice now that he was speaking normally.

"Dr. Day?" Trevor asked, surprised.

"Yes, yes, and that is Dr. Mickelson who you have in those rather burly arms of yours."

Trevor glanced down, and thanks to the dim light from the hallway, saw he was holding Dr. Mickelson, whose face was turning a deeper shade of purple. Trevor released him immediately, and Dr. Mickelson bent over and gasped.

"What are you two doing here?" Trevor asked, helping Mickelson to his feet

"Here to…get you out," Mickelson said between breaths. Dr. Day nodded beside him.

"What?" Trevor said.

"No time, no time, we'll have to explain on the way," Day said quickly grabbing Trevor by the gown and pulling him towards the door.

A panting Mickelson followed, and Day lead them through the hallway, past an abandoned nurses station, towards the elevator.

Trevor looked back at Remy and Boomer.

"What happened to them?" Trevor asked under his breath.

"Them?" Mickelson said, his breathing nearly returned to normal. "We took care of them all right sir."

"But… they're highly trained special ops soldiers," Trevor said incredulously.

Mickelson began bobbing his head back and forth with a prideful smile. "Well you should remind them of that later. It was nothing really. Slipped something in their evening meal, they never saw it coming, and they'll be out for an hour or so, giving us plenty of time to get to work before anyone reports you missing."

"Get to work?"

"Yes, yes, lots to do, lots to do," said a frantic Day.

The two explained everything on the elevator and on their journey to the front lobby. They'd brought him a change of clothes, plain jeans, a t-shirt, and a brown leather jacket, which Trevor quickly through on before they left the elevator. Casually, they strolled through the front lobby, looking now like civilians who'd come to see a friend or family member, and into the parking lot.

They got into Day's run down late 80's Honda Accord, who drove like a little old lady out of the garage.

After the attack on A.R.G.U.S., they'd continued tracking the three people from the portal. They told Trevor about the assassination attempt on Mayor Trambeline in Central City, the cyber attack on S.T.A.R. labs, and Superman and Wonder Woman's fight against the woman. Trevor tried to break in once or twice to explain he already knew about the attacks, but the two were speaking too quickly, and on top of each other. However, he found himself speechless when they reported an action he hadn't heard yet.

"And then the bald guy…" said Day.

"The one who attacked us," Mickelson broke in.

"Yeah, yeah, he broke Lex Luthor out of prison."

Trevor stammered. "He… what!"

"Yeah, killed everyone inside too, just like at A.R.G.U.S." Day said, seriously.

"Why haven't I heard anything about that on the news!"

"It's being kept on the down low, hush, hush, incognito" Mickelson said as Day steered the car onto interstate. "We've tried our best to hack into the camera feeds, but that prison is wound more tightly than The Pentagon. All we could see was one baldy went in, and two came out. Then, they whisked away north, and we lost them."

"Lost them? How could you loose them? Our satellite feeds cover the entire world from multiple vantage points.

"Well we probably would have found them again if we weren't interrupted," Day said, defensivly.

"Yeah, yeah," Mickelson said. "That was when we got this phone call, and we were told to grab some stuff, and get you out of the hospital."

Trevor cocked an eyebrow, then gripped the door handle tightly as Day pulled a hard right off the interstate into the outskirts of the city. He swallowed, hoping his two friends hadn't been convinced, or fooled, into getting him out of the hospital only to be brought to a secluded location where a real assassin could be waiting.

"Who called you?" he asked slowly.

Mickelson started bobbing his head again, beaming from ear to ear.

"Batman!" Mickelson said.

Trevor blinked, several times, and wondered if this could get any wierder.

"Batman?"

"Yes, Buh, buh Batman," Day said, slowing the car and turning into an old abandoned warehouse.

"Batman called you," Trevor repeated, skeptically.

"Yup yup sure did. Hey does he always sound like he's got a bunch of sand stuck in his throat?" Mickelson asked.

"He said once we got you out, he'd …." A phone sounded, cutting Dr. Day off.

Mickelson stilled his head, and answered with childlike giddiness. "Yello, special agent Dr. Mickelson here."

Trevor blinked rapidly, wondering if this was just a very lucid dream.

"Yup, we got'em out, nooooo problem…"

Forgetting whatever Batman was calling about, Trevor felt uneasy. He'd done everything he could to keep Dr. Day and Mickelson off the grid, his little secret.

"Did everything just as you said too…. Yup got that too."

Batman was the one person in the Justice League Trevor never trusted, and neither did the rest of the Government. Finding out who Batman was had been a secret priority of A.R.G.U.S. for years.

"…Yeah, yeah, we're here, just as you told us too…"

The truth was, Batman couldn't be controlled; not then, not now, not ever. And what Washington couldn't control, they disliked, or feared. The rest of the Justice League at least appeared somewhat reasonable, and at one time there was a healthy relationship between the Trevor's people and the Justice League. But those were the old days, and of an age long past.

"Yeah sure, here he is." Mickelson tossed the phone to Trevor. "She wants to talk to you."

"She?" Trevor said, slowly putting the phone to his ear.

"Steve!"

Trevor mind instantly went blank at the sound of her voice. It had been a while since he'd heard it, and the last time hadn't been pleasant.

"Diana?" he began. "I.. I saw what happened on the news." He tried to sound strong, he tried not to stammer, but the knot in his throat was making it difficult. "Are you…"

"I'm fine Steve. Listen, it's about Superman."

**Outskirt's of Metropolis**

Lex checked his watch. The sun was high over head, and Lex had been leaning against a tree, appreciate the cover it provided from the hot sun, across the street from the entrance of the Military Base outside of Metropolis since early that morning.

The lunch time rush was about to end, and the busy worker bee's of Metropolis were hustling their way back to their jobs, including the base's military personal. For perhaps the hundredth time, Lex patted the device in his pocked, watching patiently, looking for signs of military mobilization he was sure would begin soon.

The world would soon be facing a environmental crisis, a global environmental crises, caused by the very home of their precious savior, Superman.

Lex had been there when his descendant, Lionel, activated the Fortress of Solitude's Terraforming engines to melt the polar ice caps. He'd also been there when Lionel had effectively taken control of the Fortress' computer systems.

Then, thanks in large part to a swift means of transportation from the future, Lex had been able to reach Metropolis in a metaphorical blink of an eye. Lex wasn't sure how the technology worked, but recognized and understood the quantum theory behind it, since he'd proposed it in college. He'd gotten a "C" on that paper, which was typical of his idiot professors, so Lex made a mental note to assign his applied science division to create this technology once he'd saved the world, and regained control of Lex Corp.

He checked his watch again, almost wishing the journey here had taken longer. Though a patient man, waiting was becoming increasingly difficult.

It had been a long time since Lex had been at this base, almost as long as it had been since he'd heard from the commander of this base, General Sam Lane. Though Lex didn't have any friends, he had a professional respect for General Lane, especially since they saw eye to eye on the worlds Meta-humans, and particularly Superman.

While the rest of the world had been goggling like school girls with a crush over Superman, Lex had never been fooled. Superman was no different than Brainiac or Darkseid in his mind, and he often felt frustrated that the world seemed to admire an alien who did nothing but save them - from other aliens like himself. Yet admire them they did, and in turn, had branded Lex a criminal.

For several, long, years, Lex had watched from his prison cell everyday for signs that the world was coming to its senses, and becoming brave enough to question its once unshakable belief in their savior from the skies, Superman. It seemed lately they had; and with public opinion turning against Meta-humans, and particularly Superman, the time seemed ripe for a good exposure.

The world would finally shake their blind and crippling faith in a man who was nothing more than a self-serving invader, and instead turn to one of their own- him.

Yes, waiting was difficult.

By his estimation, the ice from the polar ice caps should be melting at an alarming rate by now, a rate that would not be missed by the worlds climatologist. In fact, Lex was sure even the President of The United States and the rest of the world leaders had already been alerted, and had there "best" advisors sitting in their over spaced offices pacing back and forth in tax payer funded air conditioning fretting and planning their responses.

But it would all be in vain.

The first sign he'd been looking for appeared then. A fancy black car escorted by several armored vehicles passed through the parking lot without barely taking a moment to show their credentials before pulling up directly in front of the main entrance. Two soldiers, dressed in full military fatigues and sporting a pair of rather large automatic weapons stepped out of the black car first, before a rather stern looking General Lane followed.

Casually, Lex left the shelter of the tree and stepped out into the sunshine which made his bald head instantly tingle and itch. He ignored it however, and made his way towards the entrance.

The General was immediately met by two aides who began chatting in his ear urgently. The man nodded here and there, and Lex could tell his mind was spinning.

Just as they were about to enter the facility, Lex called out, "General Lane!"

General Sam Lane turned, glared, then narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Lex Luthor!" he shouted. "What the hell are you doing here? In broad day light! Every CIA agent from New York to L.A. is scrawling the country looking for you. You're considered a National Security threat…"

"I assure you, I am not, General," Lex said, striding casually closer, and holding his hands out unthreateningly. "Rather, my arrival here has been timed perfectly, because you'll need me soon."

Several guards clicked their rifles and looked to the General. Lex strolled past them as though they weren't even there. General Lane took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

"Not the time Lex. I've got more pressing matters to attend too." General Lane said, then turned to his guards, "Take Mr. Luthor and put him in a holding cell."

The guards moved to surround Lex, aiming their weapons at his chest.

Lex sighed.

"The Polar ice caps are melting due to Kryptonian technology emanating from the Arctic circle, or Superman's Fortress of Solitude," Lex said, as though he were bored.

The two assistants whirled around, alarm ripped across their faces.

"That's _classified _information," one said.

The other spoke right on top of her. "If he knows, its because he's committed treason."

General Lane whirled around, his eyes meeting Lex's as the assistants continued to prattle on.

He held up a hand, and they both became silent.

"Alright Lex, what do you know," he said.

"Enough," Lex replied. "And I'm well aware of the possible responses the U.S. Government has prepared for such an emergency as this."

General Lane pressed his lips together tightly, and remained quiet.

"However," Lex said, smiling again. "Why don't we see if we can stop this first, and finally show the world what a menace Superman really is."

**The Watchtower**

With a quick snap, the Boom Tube collapsed just as Day crossed the threshold into their destination, the Justice League Watchtower. Diana and Batman stood to great them, neither wearing exactly welcoming looks.

Trevor took a breath, put on a dutiful expression, and nodded curtly. But inside his heart had skipped a beat when he saw Diana. Besides a scrape or two, and what looked like a nasty bruise forming along the side of her head, she appeared just as stern, strong, and as beautiful as ever.

Mickelson stumbled ahead, taking in a long, panoramic view of the Watchtower. "Wow, this place is awesome! You should totally have Comic-con here." he exclaimed. He continued forward until he came across the Control Center and the great viewing glass, where below, Earth was in a full, breathtaking, view.

Trevor rolled his eyes slightly, then remembered how much he owed them. "Um, hi, this is Dr's…"

"Mickelson and Day, we met already" Batman said while quickly turning on his heels and walking away.

Diana lingered a moment, staring deeply into Trevor's face. "They've been very helpful," she said, but then followed Batman's lead, and motioned for them to follow.

Trevor swallowed on the knot in his throat before following, Mickelson and Day in tow.

On the phone, Diana hadn't said much. In a nutshell, Superman was in trouble, and they needed Trevor's help. She didn't say with what, only that Batman believed the line could be bugged, so he should be prepared to be boomed almost immediately to the Watchtower.

Trevor didn't even get a chance to ask if she was ok before she hung up, and a few moments later, true to her word, a boom tube had opened up inside the abandoned warehouse building Day had driven them too.

Before they entered it, however, Trevor noticed that Mickelson and Day had been rummaging around in the trunk, tossing aside blankets and withdrawing a device beneath them.

He'd recognized it immediately.

"That's top secret," he said. "Where did you get …"

"Batman told us," Mickelson said, while helping Day lift it out of the trunk. Trevor clenched his teeth; was there anything they could keep from Batman?

They were taken to one of the labs, where Cyborg, Aquaman, and The Flash were all looking intently over a computer screen.

"They're here," Batman said, immediately causing them to look up. An instant later, Trevor felt and heard a quiet whoosh beside him, and Mickelson and Day both gasped as a red blur materialized in front of them.

"Easy now," Flash said. "Is this it?" he asked, moving to take the device out of their hands.

Before the two scientist could speak, Batman grunted an acknowledgement, and Trevor felt another quiet whoosh, and Flash re-materialized back by the computer, device in hand.

The device was simple and insignificant in appearance. Able to fit into a simple moving box, it had a bulky and dismissive metal body crudely screwed and welded together, with a small viewing port on one end, and a computer screen no bigger than a Q-pad on the other.

Cyborg looked it over quickly before flipping open a panel; a mess of twisting wires and blinking lights revealed beneath it.

"Man, I've never seen anything like this," Cyborg said. Diana had joined the others behind the computer, while Batman stood close to Trevor, his cowl shifting between them.

Trevor frowned, then cleared his throat. "Yeah well, you're not meant too, that is the property of the United States…"

"This would go a lot faster if you told us how it works," Batman said with a growl.

Trevor stammered. He didn't know, actually, he only knew of the devices existence because he'd authorized it. "It's just a prototype. We've …never actually gotten it to work."

"What do you need to make it work?" Batman asked, coldly.

Trevor clenched his fists, feeling his chest grow tight and ears become warm. "Like I was trying to say before, that device is the property of the United States Government, and if I had known you asked my two friends to steal and bring it to you, I'd have never agreed to come here…"

"Superman's in the Phantom Zone," Diana said.

Trevor stopped, his eyes reaching across the room to meet Diana's, and saw what she was hiding behind them.

Trevor didn't know much about the Phantom Zone, except that it was a parallel dimension of sorts discovered and used by the Kryptonian's as a sort of prison. There was only device that Trevor knew of on Earth that could connect this dimension to the Phantom Zone, and it was in Superman's Fortress.

However, since learning of its existence, the United States had been trying to create a device of their own to access the Phantom Zone.

From what Trevor had heard, from Superman himself actually, was that the Phantom Zone was a sort of shadow dimension which ran parallel to their own. However, it wasn't constrained by the same rules of physics. In the Phantom Zone, one didn't need to eat, sleep, or worry about physical harm or ageing, but one's senses were also dulled or obsolete. It was a place of emptiness, where one couldn't feel pain, but pleasure neither. And Superman was trapped in it.

It was fear Trevor saw behind Diana's eyes was fear, a fear she was trying to hide, and would have been successful, if Trevor hadn't known about her and Superman.

"So is that what that thing does?" Mickelson asked eagerly behind him.

Trevor snapped. "It's top…"

"It's suppose to open an inter-dimensional doorway to the Phantom Zone," Batman said. "Can you get it to work?"

Mickelson smiled gleefully before rushing past Trevor with a skip in his step. "Maybe," he said, motioning for Day to follow. Day followed tepidly, while Trevor sighed and rolled his eyes in defeat.

Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg stepped back as the pair began to pour over the computer screen. Their eyes shifted back and forth rapidly, muttering as they did, sometimes to themselves, and other times to each other. Trevor looked on, with Batman beside him, and Diana standing alone, with her arms crossed and eyes looking down. Trevor stole quick glances at her here and there. He saw her swallow, chew on her lip, and cross and uncross her arms; gestures Trevor had only seen her make when she felt impatient, nervous, or helpless.

Trevor cleared his throat, deciding he needed to refocus. "So what happened…"

"Not now," Batman said.

Trevor bit his lip to stop himself from speaking, and simultaneously felt a wave of tension sweep through them. He fought the urge to sneak another look at Diana, and instead watched as his, both current and former, worked on with an intense sense of urgency, all the while a feeling of worthlessness growing inside him.

"Well… looks like they've got everything you'd need," Mickelson said, looking up with a hopeful smile on his face.

"Um, yeah, I concur," Day added, folding his hands nervously.

"Really?" Flash asked.

"Yes, but like Colonel Trevor said, this is just a proto-type, and not complete. It's still missing some key pieces…"

"Like what?" Batman asked sharply. Both Day and Mickelson tilted their heads to see Batman was now standing over them, glaring intently. The smile faded from Mickelson and Day tucked his head into his shoulders slightly.

Trevor frowned; Batman was trying to be quick and direct while resorting to his usual tactic, intimidation.

"Well, um, you see," Day said, drawing Batman's attention to him. "T-t-t-to open a gateway to another dimension, you have to be able to sufficiently blend a section of space between the two."

"Yeah yeah,…" Mickelson said, his voice shaking slightly and his hands gripping the side of the table so tightly his knuckles had turned white. "What he's saying is you attune a precise location in space and time to vibrate at the same frequency. To do this, you need a sort of tuning fork if you will, an object that vibrates at the same frequency as the dimension you wish to travel too."

"So you need an item that's from the Phantom Zone," Batman said.

"Yes!" Both Day and Mickelson said together.

"We'll get one," Batman said. "Anything else?"

Day began again. "Well that, um, brings us to the next requirement, which is slightly more difficult. A power source…"

"An immense power source," Mickelson added.

"…that I'm not sure is readily available," Day concluded.

"A power source on what scale?" Cyborg asked.

The pair turned to Cyborg, and color returned to both their faces.

"A big one," Mickelson said.

"Beyond Atomic," Day added.

Laughter suddenly sounded behind them. "Which… you'll never…have."

Trevor turned, and his eyes grew wide as he saw a woman, laying prone on one of their medical beds, overly strapped and bound. They had set her in a corner, and Trevor was surprised he hadn't seen her when he first arrived. With a closer look, he saw the woman was wretched and ragged, like an old worn doll. Even speaking seemed to take a great deal of effort for her.

Then, on an even closer look, he recognized her.

"My god," he said. "You're from the portal!" Then, something clicked, and he turned to Diana. "And she's the one who…who…"

Diana's narrowed eyes stopped him from finishing. This was the woman who had fought and beaten her. She'd also fought Superman, but the media had never found out the outcome of their fight.

Trevor blinked and shook his head to cast away the images of the fight broadcasted on TV. He turned back to Batman, a mix of anger and apprehension rising within him. "You haven't tortured her, have you?" he asked, accusingly.

Batman remained perfectly still. "Not yet."

The two glared at each other, until Batman's eyes shifted away from Trevor, and away from his intimidation, to concern. Diana had approached the woman, fists clenched and shoulders stiff.

"Tell us, woman," Diana said, standing just over her. "What kind of power would they need?"

The woman smiled, apparently unimpressed by Diana's efforts to intimidate her. "It hasn't been invented yet, won't be for another thirty years at least."

"Forget her Wonder Woman, we'll just retrieve the device," Batman said. "We can study its power source, and I'll have a duplicate made within twenty four…"

"It won't be …of use to you," the woman said. "It was made for… a one time use."

Trevor saw Batman clench his fists and tighten his jaw, as if he were about to perform an interrogation. But then he slowly release his fists and relaxed his jaw, and simply turned away to join the others behind the computer screen. Trevor cocked and eyebrow; for Batman to walk away from her meant he must believe her.

Flash, meanwhile, shook his head vigorously. "I can do it," he said. "We'll hook it up to the Cosmic Treadmill and I'll generate enough energy by…"

"No…you can't Flash," the woman said. "That…was tried… in my time."

Flash shook his head, angrily. "Yes I can. I've traveled through time before, through the Speed Force, granted accidentally, but if that's possible, so should this."

"You won't have too," Batman said, causing Trevor to raise his other eyebrow. "Get this packed up, we're leaving. "

Mickelson and Day stepped aside as Flash and Aquaman began packing up the Phantom Zone Projector. "Where too?" Vic asked as he made his way towards the Boom Tube transporter.

Trevor could hardly take it anymore. "Where ever you're going, you're not taking that with you!" he said, pointing to the projector. Flash and Aquaman, ignoring Trevor, continued packing up the device. Meanwhile, Batman had placed a finger to his ear before strolling off in another direction, leaving Trevor alone in the middle of the room.

"Wait, that device is United States Property," he said, desperately. "You can't just…"

"Steve," a soft voice behind him said. It was Diana's, and her blue eyes were wide, sorrowful, layered over with pleading. She stepped towards him, her arms reaching out in front of her. His heart skipped, a for a moment he nearly raised his own arms, wanting, aching, to take her in them.

But he held his arms still, the image of her and Superman sharing a kiss over the country side flashing suddenly in his mind.

She laid her hands on his shoulder, then gently pecked him on the cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered softly, and all his objections melted away.

The moment was perfect, and he wished it could last forever. It was painful yes, to know she had kissed him to say thanks for helping to save the man she was with now. But to be close to her again, to feel her lips against him again, was greater.

Batman voice broke the moment. "We have another problem."

Cyborg's eyes became blank, an indication he was receiving a flood of information. A moment later they went wide. "Whoa," he said. "That's putting it lightly."

The others asked what was going on, but Batman was glaring at the ragged woman. Suddenly, he dashed towards her, throwing his arm against her throat, just beneath her windpipe, and pinning her to the medical bed.

She winced, gasped, then threw her arms around his in a vain attempt to pull them off her, clenching her teeth tightly and trying not to gasp further.

"What, are you doing?!" he shouted.

The woman pressed her lips together, though Trevor could see she was trembling slightly.

"What're you talking about?" Aquaman asked.

"The Fortress," Cyborg said. "Something crazy's going on up there. Temperatures are rising, rising fast, and the Fortress seems to be the source. Its been building for a while, but they've just now risen high enough for us to detect the environmental effects."

Batman slammed his hand hard on the hospital bed. "What are you doing?!" he shouted again.

The woman flinched had flinched before Batman had slammed his hand. It was only a slight flinch, but enough of a betrayal to show she was surprised by this news. But still, she remained defiant.

"Wait, I thought only Superman could get in the Fortress," Flash said.

"Not exactly," Diana said. "He'l got in too…"

"But only because He'l was Kryptonian," Cyborg finished.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing?!" Batman growled. "What you've done?!" Her eyes fluttered, another sign Trevor recognized as confusion. "I'll tell you! The temperature in the Fortress' spires are rising at a rate that will melt the polar ice caps. This will cause massive flooding all over the world as sea levels rise. This will cause catastrophic damage to homes, farms, economic resources, power, and lives. Millions will die! Millions!"

The woman's defiant look melted away into a horrified look. Trevor looked on intently. He assessed her as quickly as he could, and concluded she was someone who liked to be in control. As the apparent leader of three who had come from the portal, she had probably planned everything, meticulously, down to the tinniest detail; and now it seemed something had happened she hadn't planned, and it wasn't sitting well with her.

"I don't…It wasn't part of…no, he wouldn't…" she stuttered.

"Who!?" Batman roared. Her guard had been dropped, and she flinched at the sound of his voice.

"Lionel…Lionel Luthor."

Trevor could have heard a pin drop. The other's exchanged silent, brooding looks. The name Luthor was like a lightening rod, causing a mix of emotions to whoever heard it. However, it couldn't be possible that this Luther, Lionel Luther, was connected to Lex, who was being held in one of the worlds most secure prison's.

"We need to go," Batman said. "NOW!"

Aquaman and Flash joined Batman by the Boom Tube. Diana followed, but kept her face on the woman's for as long as possible, a look of rage spread across it.

"Vic, get Trevor back to Washington as soon as we're gone, then run point up here," Batman said.

"Uh, what about us?" Mickelson asked.

"You're coming with us," Batman growled.

Before Trevor could say anything, Mickelson and Day were grabbed by Flash and Aquaman and hurried towards Batman who had Diana at his side. There was a rumble, followed by a flash, and an instant later, they were gone.

**The Fortress of Solitude**

Splotches of red slowly oozed over the three dimensional layout of planet Earth. They were heaviest in the Northern Hemispheres, but were now bleeding into the equator regions, and would continue to trickle into the southern continents of South America, Africa, and Australia.

Lionel smiled.

His plan was playing out just as he'd hoped. He checked his time piece - an old fashion relic passed down through his family - and concluded it would only be another hour or so before panic would truly begin to ensue. By then, his ancestor Lex should be executing his portion of the plan, and the future would effectively be rewritten. Rewritten by Lionel's hand.

Leaving the viewing area, Lionel strolled across the Fortress of Solitude's anti-chamber to the bottle resting on the pedestal by the Kryptonian "throne". Lionel only had a chance to take a brief glance at it before when he'd first arrived with Lex and poor Caelus. Now, with nothing to do but sit and wait, he wanted to take a closer look at the object which had caused so much trouble, and provided so much opportunity.

Peering through the glass, his eyes became lost in the towering spires that would have made Earth's largest sky scrapers seem like weeds in a cornfield. The city had been shrunken down on an astronomical scale, which made the people inside smaller than grains of sand.

It was truly a surreal experience.

In this very bottle were people whose names were infamous in the future, yet were unknown now. But here they were, trapped in a moment of time, as vulnerable as they would ever be, yet unreachable as well.

Lionel smirked, and rapped on the glass with his knuckle, wondering if Kryptonians could dream in a hibernating state. There were certain people in that city right now who would be responsible for the genocide of entire countries. Lionel knew their names, knew what they looked like, and knew that in this bottle, without exposure to Earth's yellow sun, they would be as vulnerable as any other human.

The glass made a hollow noise and reverberated slightly, but otherwise did nothing. Brainiac was good, very good, at protecting the pieces of his collection.

Lionel sighed and rolled his eyes. _If only he'd been as good at protecting himself as well_.

Looking down, Lionel imagined grinding the entire city into dust with his bare hands. He could wipe each and every one of them out, the good and the bad, leaving it to God, Rao, or whoever to sort out the guilty from the innocent.

But no, the bottle was safe, from Lionel at least. In all his research, he could never find the process Superman used to restore Kandor. Not that Lionel cared that much - he cared more about how to destroy it - but he'd found himself just intellectually curious on more then one occasion. Sherina was the one who'd obsessed over it, determined to understand every aspect about the era and people they were traveling back in time too. But she hadn't found it either, leading Lionel to conclude this was just another of many secrets that would be lost to history in the next coming years.

But he'd found out enough; enough to accomplish what they'd set out to do, and so much more.

Turning away from the bottle, Lionel took a long, sweeping look at the Fortress' Anti-chamber. He took a moment to let all he'd been through, all he'd worked for, all he'd accomplished, sink in. It was truly a lot and worthy in his mind of mention in every history book to ever be written. Unfortunately, no one would probably ever know how he saved humanity, not even himself, ironically, once the timelines had changed. But still, in all of time and space, he couldn't think of a better place to be at this moment than here, in the place where it all began, in the home of his families eternal enemy, as the final stages of his plan were about to begin.

He'd began putting the pieces of his plan together years ago, when the war took what was probably it's final turn against the humans.

Like all young boys in his time, he'd become a member of the human resistance as soon as he could hold a rifle and shoot straight. And being a member of the family Luthor, he'd been placed near the front lines, expected to contribute with both his physical skills and his intellect. There wasn't anything else to pursue, anything left to strive for. Humanity had held out long against the Kryptonians; after all at its peak, the human population had been almost six billion, and the Kryptonians from Kandor only numbered in the hundred thousands. But it seemed now their time was running out, and those still living were only living on borrowed time.

At first, Lionel didn't give much thought to the future, determined only to do his duty to the best of his ability. However, History was a hobby of his, and if there was one thing he'd learn from human history, it was that humanity always won. Humanity never contented itself to just roll over, surrender, and die. No, humanity was a vibrant spirit, which could combine the best of what its soldiers, artists, scientist, laborer's, and leaders offered, to defeat any enemy which tried to subdue them. And through his faith in humanity , Lionel not only believed humanity would survive this war, but they would become stronger because of it.

He held these beliefs close, trusting and drawing upon them for inspiration during the darkest and toughest days. No matter how dark or bleak the war looked, he believed steadfastly that humanity would find a way. He trained hard, studied tactics and warfare long into the night, and practiced his skills with a passion matched by few. At night he would stare upwards towards the sky, picturing the day the war would finally end, and he would be there, on the final battle field, raising humanities flag proudly for all to see.

The darkest night would be washed away by the birth of a new day, and humanity would reach for the stars once more.

Strolling towards the statues of Lara and Jor'el, Superman's parents, Lionel narrowed his eyes as he looked upon their faces etched in stone or crystal or whatever material it was. They looked proud, they looked noble, they looked wise and studious; it made Lionel's stomach churn.

There had been few of his fellow soldiers who believed what he believed, hoped for what he hoped. Most believed humanity was nearing its end, and were only continuing on so as to die fighting, rather then live by surrender.

Lionel's optimism was ignored at first, then hostilely rejected. He went from being considered a foolish youth, to an outsider, to being hated. They didn't want to hear about humanities potential; they didn't want to hear about the glory days of the past; they didn't want to know what was or what could have been. They only wanted to fight and kill as many Kryptonians as they could before their impending extermination.

There was one, however, who had listened. Her name was Katherine, and like Lionel, she was a descendant of a famous family; the Wayne's. To Lionel, Katherine was a bright glimmer shinning against a sea of doubt and despair.

Standing beneath Jor'El's statue, Lionel clenched his fist and felt his throat grow thick. This man was long dead, his body incinerated with the rest of his accursed planet. Jor-el must have thought it noble and selfless to save his infant son; but they don't say the road to hell is paved with good intentions without reason.

Katherine carried her family name and legacy just as Lionel did, each hearing of their families history through dinner and bedtime stories. It was through Katherine Lionel met Sherina, her older sister and a commanding officer within the resistance. But unlike Sherina, Katherine was bright, cheerful, and eager to believe the best of humanity, just as Lionel did.

Katherine's spirit and courage he admired, but it was her dreams he grew to love.

She'd grown up sheltered by the resistance, her only childhood friends being children of other resistance leaders, one of whom was Caelus. Like Lionel and Katherine, Caelus was another descendant of a famous family; one Lionel's family had always spoken of with disdain.

And while Lionel and Katherine shared the same hope, vision, and dream of humanity, Katherine's heart belonged to Caelus.

It had pained Lionel to see her love him, especially when he seemed too focused and duty-bound to love her back. However, Lionel never allowed himself to give in to anger or jealousy, instead redoubling his efforts and contribution to the war efforts in hope that one day, the war would come to an end, his hopes would be fulfilled, their dreams would become reality, and Katherine would see him as the leader he was meant to be, and love him for it.

That day never came.

It seemed so long ago now, yet it had been less than two years ago. The Kryptonians had finally turned their sights to the last remnants of North America. The Resistance put up their toughest defense, and Lionel, Sherina, Caelus, and Katherine had all been in the thick of the fight.

It was during the battle of Washington, the capital of Humanities resistance. Sherina had taken her command to defend the capital, and protect the last President.

The battle lasted longer than any had expected, but they still lost. The President was captured, Washington fell, the Resistance was now without a leg to stand on, and Katherine had been killed.

Grief tore through all three, but Lionel most of all. With her gone, killed by the lifelong enemy of his family, the seeds of hatred planted long ago by his family blossomed in violent and fiery rage. His faith was crushed, his dreams shattered, and his hopes extinguished. The world suddenly changed around him, his emotions shut off, and all he wanted was to kill as many Kryptonians as he could before they finally killed him.

Staring at Jor-el now, the now familiar feelings of anger and hatred rose within Lionel. They were once so vibrant, so strong, they nearly pushed him into a feral rage. But now, he'd grown so used to them, he barely even noticed the tensing of his shoulders, the stiffness of his arms, and the tightness of his throat.

How long he stayed emotionally void, Lionel didn't know. But one day, a moment of clarity broke through the thick fog that his mind had succumb too. Sense had suddenly returned, and with an idea.

The war was lost, he'd come to believe that now. There was, however, a way to win.

In the past.

They could prevent the war from ever occurring, prevent billions from dying, prevent Katherine from dying. It could be done, he believed it as strongly as he once believed in humanity. His former passion, History, would provide the answer, and he took to searching and researching the past with even more vigor than he'd had before. Gathering as much historical data as he could, Lionel traced the histories of the commanding families, traced the history of the Kryptonians, traced the history of the war, until he found the brink. Ironically, it all extended back to the so called "Age of Heroes."

The knowledge both inspired and infuriated him. He knew his own family history, the Luthor's, and knew how his ancestor Lex had constantly warned humanity about the dangers of trusting so called Meta-humans, especially Earth's first Kryptonian, Superman. If humanity had listened to Lex, and rejected Superman, then Kandor would have never been restored.

It was that simple.

Lionel shared all he discovered with Sherina, whose hatred for the Kryptonians ran even deeper than his own. But Sherina didn't care about History if it didn't help her in the present. Lionel also knew the idea of Time Travel would seem too radical and insane, perhaps rightly so, for Sherina to consider.

So he introduced the idea to Sherina gradually, planting little seeds of his master plan here and there, giving Sherina the illusion of command, which would be the only way she'd ever agree to it.

Once the idea was planted, Sherina began studying History with a fervor of her own. On her own at first, then together, Lionel and Sherina shared their findings, theories, and conclusions. In time, and with subtle manipulation by Lionel, Sherina proposed traveling back in time, as Lionel had intended all along.

Her plan was to travel back in time to this particular era of history; several years before Kandor was restored, and at a time when public opinion against meta-humans was turning to the negative. There was the perfect window for them to act, as their studies showed that the ebbs and flows of human opinion swayed as often as reeds in the wind, and public opinion towards meta-humans would turn favorably in the near future after a global catastrophe.

Lionel remembered listening as Sherina devised a plan, a plan ensuring that not only would Kandor never be restored, but that the greatest and most destructive weapons of humanity would never be created. She had deconstructed history into a game of chess, and was simply removing the oppositions key pieces to ensure they would be defeated.

Sherina's plan included everything Lionel had hoped for, and more. To his surprise, she proposed killing Superman, a feat Lionel had not considered, but only because he hadn't thought it possible. But Sherina knew it was, and even better, she had all she needed to ensure it happened.

She was also the one who recruited Caelus. Caelus was a child of both worlds, Kryptonian and Human, but had chosen to fight for humanity, as his ancestors had always done. Never one to mince words, Sherina drew a hard line with hard language, and pushed Caelus into helping them. Caelus agreed, both out of guilt and hope; guilt for what his Kryptonian kin had done, and hope that Katherine would never have to die.

Sherina's plan was both solid and thorough, and if they succeeded, would indeed change history. But that wasn't enough for Lionel.

The anger of his family legacy burning brighter than ever within him now, Lionel felt humanity owed him, owed his family. So he devised a plan of his own, a plan within the plan, that would coincide with Sherina's, but supercede his outcome over hers.

History is viewed with crystal clear vision, and Lionel believed if humanity had only listened to his ancestor, Lex Luthor, this war would never occur. That was it! But humanity hadn't, choosing instead to listen to a man who presented himself as their savior, and branded his ancestor a criminal. Even now, in the distant future, humanity still hadn't given the Luthor family the respect they deserved; they'd never admitted they were wrong for not listening, they'd never admitted to following the wrong savior.

Lionel would change that. He would erase history and rewrite it, with his own pen in his own handwriting, and this time, humanity would listen to Lex, and the Luthor family would gain their rightful place in history.

The first step was actually Sherina's idea; destroy the government organization known as A.R.G.U.S. and all their research they had done on Meta-humans, including their weapons being designed to fight them.

After destroy A.R.G.U.S, Lionel was suppose to meet Caelus and the Fortress of Solitude and retrieve Kandor and hide it. But Lionel began to follow his own plan then.

Instead of heading directly to the Fortress, he'd broken Lex out of the prison they'd unjustly cast him in. Then he met Caelus at Superman's arctic fortress. But instead of retrieving the bottle, Lionel activated the Fortress' Terraforming engines so as to create a world wide catastrophe.

He would prove just how powerful and threatening their Kryptonian savior, Superman, really was. He would prove to them just how dangerous these aliens, who had already destroyed their own planet, really were. He'd put this danger on display for all humanity to see, and force them to decide.

Lionel calculated that once it was realized the threat was coming from Superman's Fortress, the leaders of Earth would treat this threat with the biggest weapons they had; atomics. It didn't matter if they launched one or a thousand, the fortress would be destroyed, and if Kandor wasn't with it, then it would be destroyed along with it, buried under miles of ice and snow, lost and forgotten for all time.

Lex would be the one to stop it, however, if it proved feasible. Lionel had sent Lex back to America to remind everyone that he had always been warning humanity about the dangers of Superman. Now, he would have a visible threat to back up his claims. If the opportunity presented itself, Lex could shut down the Terraforming engines with the remote Lionel had programmed for him. There was still much to gain from Kryptonian technology, but Lionel wanted to make sure Lex and his descendants were the ones handling it. If Lex wasn't successful in convincing the world's leaders to entrust him, then he was to let the Terraforming engines continue on, and watch as the nukes destroyed it.

Either way, the war would be prevented. And either way, Humanity would learn to listen to the Luthor family. Lionel was well aware he could die here if Lex couldn't stop the missiles from being launched, but he didn't care. He was at peace with his fate knowing that upon success, he would be born in the future as a prominent member of a world leading family, into a world of prosperity and peace, with Katherine alive and at his side, finally seeing him as the leader he was born to be.

She would be alive. Alive, and never having to grow up in a world of pain of suffering, never having to live in fear, never having to die. They would be together, as it was meant to be, and she would love him, as he'd always loved her. Millions of people may have to die, but billions would be saved, and so would she. It seemed like a fair price for tomorrow.

Lionel stood before the viewing port and watched as the red spots continued to fill the diagram of planet Earth. Without thinking, his hand had slipped into his pocket, and clenched a small object resting inside. It was a ring, attached to a chain. The ring was another heir loom passed down by his family. It had once belonged to Lex's mother actually, given to her by Lex's father, the day he proposed to her.

It had come into Lionel's possession after his mother was killed, and he'd kept it for a long time. Long ago he had wished to give it Katherine one day, on the day he worked up the courage to ask her to marry him.

He clutched the ring and closed his eyes, picturing her face smiling brightly as it always did. He imagined her voice, speaking of hopes and dreams, but softly so as not to wake their fellow soldiers. He could feel her hand squeeze his arm gently as he professed his hope and belief that humanity would survive this war, and they would build themselves up even stronger than before.

But then the alarms began to sound, and Lionel slowly opened his eyes and released the ring. The diagram of Earth melted away in the viewing area, replaced by a diagram of the Fortress. Indicator's lights began flashing in the vicinity of the front entrance, and Kryptonian text appeared beneath it.

Lionel had only a basic understanding of the language, but it didn't matter. He was looking for only one combination of symbols, symbols which would mean a Kryptonian had been detected by the Fortress' bio-scanners. The symbols he was looking for never appeared, meaning there wasn't a Kryptonian with whoever was outside.

Lionel smiled, and congratulated Sherina in his head. No Kryptonians outside mostly likely meant Sherina had succeeded, and Superman was either dead or trapped in the Phantom Zone.

**The Arctic**

Barry stepped onto the frozen tundra of the Arctic, and was surprised too hear a soft splashing sound beneath him. The Boom Tube snapped closed behind him, and Barry immediately could tell something was wrong. It was warm, too warm, especially for the arctic, the wind didn't bite at you like normal. A humming sounded through the air, soft and faint, but easily noticeable in the otherwise deathly quiet environment. But what stood out the most was a mass of dark storm clouds ahead, gathering above their destination.

"It's only been a few of hours," Arthur said. He was kneeling and inspecting the ice and snow. "If we don't reverse this soon, we may not be able to stop it."

"We couldn't boom directly inside?" Barry asked.

"Too much interference from that," Bruce said, pointing ahead a mass of dark storm clouds.

Diana stepped beside him. "We should find the nearest settlements and villages and be prepared to evacuate them," she said.

"Good call," Barry said, watching her lift off and whisk away in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Barry drew upon the Speed Force and expanded his vibrational field. He began searching for anything out of the ordinary, and didn't find much. The molecules of an environment this cold didn't vibrate very strongly, making everything seem faint, and dull.

However, far below, he could sense small pockets of ice whose molecules were moving faster than the others, which meant they were growing warmer. Above the surface, he could sense warm pockets of air swirling with colder ones, causing the winds to circle. Barry clenched his jaw. Arthur was right; the melting of the ice caps had progressed quickly, and if they didn't stop it soon, they wouldn't be able to stop it at all.

Behind him, Dr. Day shivered, while Dr. Mickelson was clutching his arms around himself tightly.

"So what… are we …going to do …here?" Day asked, shivering.

Without answering, Bruce gestured them to follow.

"We're going, there?" asked a wide eyed Mickelson.

Bruce didn't answer, and Barry noticed the scientist were both looking towards the dark clouds ahead fearfully.

Bruce pressed a finger to his ear. "Vic, you there."

"Yeah man," they all heard through the com.

Bruce began walking, and the others soon followed. Arthur strolled ahead with Bruce, but Barry hung back a bit. "You guys going to make it? We really need you here?" he asked the two scientist.

The two exchanged a look, then nodded encouragingly to each other, then to Barry. "We'll do our best, sir," Mickelson said.

Day nodded. "Yyyes, yes," he stammered, then added with a forced smile, "You don't save the world by staying in your office."

"You have to walk right into danger sometimes," Mickelson chimed in.

Barry smiled and nodded. They journeyed on, slowly. The ice, though melting, was still slick and precarious, especially for Mickelson and Day, and the thick snow made a brisk pace nearly impossible for everyone; it made Barry very edgy.

"I'm uploading the grid now," Bruce said in the com as they neared the thresholds between the open sky and dark gathering of clouds. He pressed a button on his utility belt.

The wind was howling fiercely now, and the air had grown warm enough where they could even feel humidity. Above, the clouds were turning darker, and they could see lightening far off where Barry knew Superman's Fortress of Solitude was.

. "I got it," Vic said in their ears. "Several life forms are in the sublevels…"

"The menagerie," Bruce said plainly.

"…and one in the upper level. The anti-chamber, actually."

Arthur frowned. "Where did you get a digital map of the Fortress?" he asked.

"From sensors I placed the last time Superman brought us here," Bruce replied.

Barry saw Arthur's eyes narrow. "Does Superman know you placed these - sensors?"

"He'll get over it," Bruce said, plainly.

Barry stepped between them, casually. "Sooo, how do we get in?" he asked, quickly.

"Vic…" Bruce began.

But before he could finish, the ground shook violently. It came suddenly and unexpectedly, catching each of them off guard, and causing Mickelson and Day to stumble.

Barry's sensory field erupted to life, and he sensed the normally frozen and subdued molecules get a boost of speed. They began vibrating quicker, causing them to create more friction, which Barry realized would subsequently cause the temperatures to continue to rise.

Barry shook himself, shrinking his sensory field a bit. "Aquaman's right. We won't have much time if a few more of those occur."

Bruce's jaw became tight beneath his cowl. "Vic?" he said, again.

"We'll just have to get in range…wait, below you guys, under the ice," Vic said. "Something's just …well, it looks like something just tore a hole into the water below."

"What is it?" Bruce asked.

"Don't know, I lost them on radar once they passed out of the Fortress."

Barry quickly expanded his field again, drawing searched through the vibrations, extending his field down into the ice, and into the water far below. There, he felt a series of vibrations. They were faint, but vibrant enough against the extreme cold temperatures of the water below.

"I got him," Barry said.

"Are you sure it's a _him_?" Diana said, landing softly next to him.

"Sorry; person, animal, thing," Barry muttered.

Diana nodded satisfied. "There's a few scattered villages," she reported. "The nearest is about five miles away, which gives us time, but not much at the rate this storm is growing."

Bruce nodded, then turned to Arthur. "Can you retrieve whoever's down there?"

"I'm on it," Arthur replied, placing his Trident behind his back, then turning to Barry. "Mind opening a door for me?"

Barry nodded before dashing to a spot of ice past the threshold of the storm, then stood on his toes as tall as he could. He began to spin. Drawing in the Speed Force, Barry became a blur of red to the others as he spun like a top. Lightening erupted from him in all directions, and the friction he created caused the ice to melt, creating a chasm which he slowly sank into. A few moments later, he broke through the icy surface to water below, then quickly reversed his direction and rising back to the surface.

Once clear, Arthur dove into the chasm. The rest came to the edge of the chasm and waited. Barry followed Arthur as he swam as fast as a missile beneath the surface towards the faint vibrations that had emerged from beneath the Fortress. A moment later, the two became one. "He's got it!" Barry said.

Bruce nodded, then reached into his utility belt and withdrew a batarang. He pressed a switch, and it began flashing, a bright blinding flash normally used to stun and confuse Bruce's opponents. He casually dropped it into the chasm.

Barry felt Arthur's vibration change course and head straight for them. A moment later, there was a great splash and Arthur's emerged from the water, a limp figure draped over his shoulder.

Arthur landed, and carefully laid the body on the ice.

Barry's eyes went wide. "Caelus!" he said, zipping to his side.

Caelus looked cold, pale, and was shivering violently.

"Hey, hey," Mickelson said, giddily. "He's one of them! From the portal."

A flash of lightening ripped overhead, followed by a booming crack of thunder. Caelus began to spasm uncontrollably then, thrashing his arms wildly.

"Caelus!" Barry shouted. He tried to pin Caelus down by his shoulders, but was tossed away like a rag doll.

"Aquaman, secure him," Barry heard Bruce say, coldly.

"No, wait," Barry said, throwing himself on Caelus again, who was gasping and gnashing his teeth now.

Arthur stepped in, as did Diana. "Batman's right," she said. "We should get him back to the tower…"

"No," Arthur said. "We need him to tell us what he's done and how to undo it, now."

Caelus nearly threw them all off then, his strength surprising them all. But in the moment Caelus was nearly free, something caught Barry's eye. A small object, sickly green, and protruding from Caelus' back.

"Wonder Woman's right, he's too dangerous," Batman said, drawing a syringe and needle from his utility belt. "We need to get him secured."

Arthur scowled angrily. "He might be the only who knows what's happening here if…,"

"Don't you say it," Wonder Woman snapped. "Don't even think it."

Caelus began thrashing again, waving his arms wildly and gasping through clenched teeth in a storm of delirium. Above, the clouds erupted again, and the wind howled louder.

"Look at him, he's dangerous," Bruce repeated.

Barry saw the object again. Caelus was too strong, even for the three of them, to pin him down. But Barry suspected whatever was protruding from his back was causing Caelus to act this way. So he watched carefully, timing his movements, readying himself for a quick strike.

"And he's a killer," Bruce said venomously.

"No, he's, not!" Barry said sternly. Then his moment came. With a move as quick as a snake strike, Barry reached out when Caelus' back was lifted, and grasped the object.

Caelus wretched painfully and screamed before he gasped and fell limp on the ice.

Barry turned back to Bruce, anger seething through him. "I know what a killer looks like, Batman," he said. "And he's not! He had a chance, he's had several chances, and each time he's hesitated. Plus, how did he get here, and how did this…" he held up the object for Batman too see, but stopped once he got a good look at it himself.

It was a knife. A knife made of a glowing green stone, and without a hilt. The blade glowed dully, and Barry immediately knew what it was. Behind him, Caelus began moaning softly, then began coughing and gasping for air.

Behind them, Day's eyes went wide. "Hey is that…"

"Kryptonite!" Mickelson finished. "There was a whole file on the stuff…"

"Shut up!" Bruce said, snatching the knife away from Barry. He sighed, then placed the knife in a pouch on his utility belt. "He should start feeling better now."

Almost immediately, Caelus' eyes snapped open and his breathing began to slow to a normal pace. Color began to seep into is face, as did clarity in his eyes. A moment later he sat up, but looked alarm when he noticed his company.

Barry quickly knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Caelus, its me, Flash," he said.

"Flash?" Caelus said. He looked clearly confused, and apprehensive.

"You were stabbed," Barry said, his police training kicking into gear. "Do you remember what happened?"

Caelus nodded. "Lionel," he said, lowly.

"Why?"

"I don't…I don't know," Caelus said, shaking his head. Barry offered a hand, and Bruce offering another.

"That much Kryptonite should have killed you," Bruce said, helping him up. "So I'm guessing part of you is human too."

Caelus met Bruce's eyes, and they exchanged a long stare.

"You're Kryptonian?" Arthur asked.

"Half," Caelus replied. "I have some of their powers. Some of their weaknesses. I'm not as vulnerable to Kryptonite, but it still weakens me."

Diana placed herself in front of him, glaring angrily. "We've captured your friend, Sherina," she said, coldly. "And she's told us all about you. Where your from, and why you came back in time. She also managed to trap Superman in the Phantom Zone."

Caelus' shoulders slouched, and he blinked several times while looking away. A moment later he turned back, and nodded slowly.

"That was part of the plan, yes," he said. "One I truly hoped she wouldn't succeed with."

"Well she did," Arthur said. "But she never said anything about you melting the polar ice caps," Arthur said, then added, "In fact she…seemed surprised by it."

Caelus' eyes widened in horror. "That _was _never part of our plan…" His voice trailed off and he turned back to the Fortress as another rumbling of vibrations erupted around them. "That's why…"

"Why what?" Bruce asked.

"…He stabbed me," Caelus said. "He stabbed me, then tossed me into the Menagerie. He knows Kryptonite poisons me slowly, which is what I'm guessing he wanted."

"But why did you come here in the first place?" Arthur asked, coldly.

Caelus blinked, then sighed. "We came here for the bottle, Kandor's bottle…"

"To destroy it?" Bruce asked.

"No!" Caelus snapped. "Never! I would never agree to kill them! They're as much my people as humans are, and I don't want to see either of them killed, especially by each other! It's the reason I signed up for this mission, to make sure Kandor _wasn't _destroyed."

"Then what were you planning to do with it?" Barry asked.

"Hide it," Caelus replied. "The people in the bottle are alive, but in a suspended state of animation, and can remain that way indefinitely. I wanted to hide it away from Superman for a day when it could be restored safely, for both humans and Kryptonians."

"But Lionel had other plans," Bruce said, dryly.

Caelus clenched his teeth. "Sherina would never allowed this. He must be acting on his own." A pained expression crossed Caelus' face and he swallowed. "I… maybe I should have known." He clenched his teeth and shook his head. "Yes, I should have, the moment I saw him."

"Who?" Diana asked.

"A man Lionel brought. He looked familiar at first, but I couldn't place him. Lionel said he was just a civilian he didn't want to see killed, so took him prisoner instead. But now... Damn it! It was Lex Luthor; Lionel's ancestor."

Bruce quickly turned away and pressed a finger to his ear. "Vic, quickly, hack into the desert prison …." he said, his voice trailing away.

Arthur stepped forward, gripping his trident tightly. "Ok, so you never had any intention of killing millions of people?"

"No," Caelus said firmly. "We had a good plan, which if successful, would _prevent _billions from dying; Human and Kryptonian alike. A few were suppose to die, yes, but I… I even tried to save those," he added, sounding defeated.

Behind him, Barry nodded. He thought of Central City; how Caelus had stood before Mayor Trambeline, the one on the human side of the equation responsible for escalating the tensions between the humans and the Kandorian's. This was the man who gave the order to create weapons to be used against the Kandorian's, and the man who gave the command to turn the sun from yellow to red. Caelus had a loaded gun pointed at his head, and no one to stand in his way; not even Barry.

But he'd hesitated.

"Well millions of people _are _going to die," Arthur said sternly. "And its because of your partner."

"Yes," Barry added. "By turning on the Fortress' Terraforming engines, the air that's warming down here is rising and condensing and cooling rapidly which will, for starters, create a powerful Monsoon," he said, pointing to the brewing storm clouds above the Fortress. "As long as the air in the lower atmosphere is continually being warmed, its going to continue building and create one hell of a storm that'll rip across the entire globe, cause the polar ice caps to melt, and throw every eco-system in the world off balance and into chaos. Flash Fact!"

Caelus listened intently, repeatedly nodding with a grave and guilt laden look on his face. When Barry was finished, another crack of thunder sounded loudly over head, and it began to rain.

"Let me help you," he said, clenching his fists suddenly. "This is our fault, my fault; and no one should have die today so others can live tomorrow."

"And how are you proposing to help?" Arthur asked.

"I can get you in the Fortress," he said. "It's simple, but only someone with my, attributes, can open the doors."

"And how are we suppose to know we can trust you?" Bruce said, having rejoined them silently a few moments before.

Bruce, Diana, Arthur, and Dr.'s Mickelson and Day all stared at Caelus intently. Barry stood beside him, seeing their apprehensive and penetrative gazes, sensing their distrust. He couldn't blame them, a lot was at stake. Sherina was the one who trapped Superman in the Phantom Zone. And now Lionel was on the verge of causing millions to be killed.

Common sense would say they shouldn't trust him; but Barry had learned long ago to listen to his gut, especially when it came to people.

He moved closer to Caelus, and put a hand on his shoulder. "We can trust him," he said. "I'd bet my life on it."

**The Phantom Zone**

I can count on my hands the number of times I've felt pain. True pain. This… really isn't one of those times.

It begins with my eyes. Color, texture, and even light diminish, leaving the world in a mixture of night and day. My arms and legs become lighter, hollow, making me feel weightless. My lungs drain of air, leaving them feeling empty, since theirs no need to breath. I can't feel anything; hot air or cold, texture, moisture, I can't even feel my hair when I run my fingers through it.

The last step is my heart, which comes to a stop. Not a stop, but more like a pause, holding itself still in suspended animation, neither living or dead.

With the cycle complete, I'm no longer a man, either human or Kryptonian, but a phantom. A phantom of the Phantom Zone.

Behind me, the remnants of the portal which trapped me here fade, slamming shut the temporary door between the three dimensional universe, and this one. For one last second, I can hear all the sounds echoing from Earth into space with my super hearing, before the portal snaps shut, and there is nothing.

A moment later, the nothing turns to the sounds of agony, despair, and hopelessness.

"Help!"

"I've served my time!"

"I will find you Kara!"

"Kneel before Zod!"

I don't know much about this realm. I know my father discovered it not long before Krypton's destruction. It was used as a Temporal Prison for Krypton's most dangerous criminals; a place where they would be separated from the society they had wronged, and the reality they'd lived in.

"Please, release me!"

"I was innocent!"

They're cries sound as though they are coming both near and far. Space is relative here, as is time. It's a realm that mirrors our own, a shadow realm, where you don't age, or feel pain, but you don't feel anything else either.

I've flown into space many times, often to be alone, but still listen for trouble on Earth. Even though my eyes can no longer see color or depth, Earth somehow looks the same. I can see it spinning slowly on its axis, and see where the divide between the light and the dark caused by the sun. It looks the same to me, peaceful and beautiful… and I don't want to be anywhere near it.

The grayness of space extends to an infinite distance, a distance I can't fly fast enough in too. I can fly for as long and as far as I want, without ever having to stop and eat, sleep, or rest. Never having to stop and hear their cries again.

I can fly as far away as I want, and no one will die because of me.

Space feels cold, but the Phantom Zone feels empty.

I flew into the vast darkness, never looking left or right, trying to outrun the cries of pain and agony, outrun the guilt. I passed by numerous worlds, suns, stars, and entire galaxies before I noticed he was beside me.

He hadn't made a rift or sound, just flew beside me, watching me carefully; a friend I hadn't seen in years, a friend I confess, heavily, I'd nearly forgotten of.

"Pretty far from Earth aren't you?" he asked, finally deciding to get my attention.

I blinked away my surprise, and came to a halt, staring wide eyed at the friend I'd hadn't seen since my childhood. He looked the same as he did when I last saw him, all those years ago.

"Lar?"

He smiled, the same hapless smile of the boy explorer who came to Earth so long ago.

"It's good to see you Cal," he said.

"It's.. it's good to see you too," I replied, though another twinge of guilt ripped through me. "How … how is…"

"The same," he said with a shrug. "But its alright, I can stay here as long as I need too, no rush."

I sighed heavily, out of habit, forgetting there isn't any air to breathe here. "I'm sorry," I said. "I haven't been able to find a cure. Truth is, I haven't had much of a chance to look into it."

"Cal, its ok," he said, smiling. "You've been busy, I know, I've been watching. You've done a lot of good for Earth, good for people who need you, and I don't expect you to take time away from that. It'd be pretty selfish of me, right?"

He hasn't changed a bit, on the outside or in. His name is Lar Grand - or Lar-El as he'll be known in the future. We met when I was just a kid and my powers were first manifesting. It was a… difficult time, to say the least, and as incredible as my abilities were, they made me feel dangerous, which led to me feeling isolated, which led me to feeling alone. It's not easy to make friends when you're holding a secret you're not even sure how to explain, or you're scared you might break someone's arm just by bumping into them.

It was during that time they introduced themselves.

The Legion of Superheroes. A team of people, much like the Justice League, from the 31st century. Saturn Girl, Lightening Lad, Phantom Girl, Brainiac 5, and Lar-EL, who I came to know as Lar Grand. They had come back in time, and I met some of the greatest friends I've ever had.

Lar was one of them, and he and I had something special in comLar. He's from the planet Daxam, which was located in the same solar system as Krypton. His cells absorb the radiation of Earth's yellow sun just like mine, and as such, we have similar abilities.

However, we have our differences as well, one of which is the reason he's here. Kryptonite is deadly to me, and likewise, Lead is deadly to Lar. However, unlike my vulnerability to Kryptonite, once exposed, there isn't a known way to reverse the effect lead has on a Daxamite.

I accidently exposed him to lead one day, and he nearly died because of it. To save his life the Legion put Lar into the Phantom Zone where he could stay indefinitely until a cure was found.

Saddley, I haven't found a cure. But what's even worse is that I haven't spent much time looking.

"Lar, I haven't been a good friend," I said. "Please…"

"Cal, I told you, don't worry about it. I know you've been busy," he said. "Though I'm not sure why you're flying all the way out here. Earth's back that way," he said cheerfully while pointing over his shoulder.

I look past him, and I can't see Earth at all. Its just one of the infinite number of dull splotches against the grayness of space that I know are suppose to be gleaming stars. I didn't realize how far I'd flown.

Lar's smile fades. "So you're going to go back, right? I mean, you're friends are probably busy trying to find a way to get you out of here. You should probably be ready."

I stare on, unable to speak. I only have questions; questions with any definitive answer.

"I…I don't think I can go back Lar," I said, finally admitting it out loud. Finally admitting I don't know what to do - what the right thing to do is.

I finally look to him, a boy still, whose older than he looks, and maybe wiser too. I'm not sure what I expected, I'm not used to asking for advice, at least on this level. Bruce is usually the one I go to for advice, but only on matters of tactics or strategies. This… this is new for me.

Lar only nodded, and took a deep, unnecessary, breath of his own.

"Kandor, right?" he asked. "I heard what she said to you. I heard all about her future."

"Is it true?" I asked, remembering he has some knowledge of the future.

But he shook his head ominously. "Cal, there aren't many historical records that survive the next few hundred years. At least not until the 25th century. And according to Brainiac 5, even the records they do have are very unreliable because of the Time Trapper. It's why they don't know if a cure is ever found my condition."

"But isn't there anything you can tell me?" I asked earnestly, desperately. "Anything about Kandor?"

He shook his head again, and my heart sank. He tried to smile sympathetically, but only one corner of his mouth turned up. "I'm not the best person to ask," he said. "Remember, I'm not from the 31st century, I just join the Legion by then… somehow."

"Right," I replied, flatly.

Several screams sounded around us then, and Lar suddenly looked worried.

"We better go," he said, turning himself towards Earth and drifting towards it. I stayed still, and he turned back. "Are you coming Cal?"

"Lar…"

"Look," he said, "Other's might be surprised, but I'm not. To me, you're Cal-El, Clark Kent, and I don't blame you. I was shocked myself when I heard, but you can't just run away." he said.

I scowled, slightly. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

He flew back, and looked at me with cold, hard eyes. "Yes you do. You were running, weren't you. Running as far and as fast away from Earth as you could. Why else would you be out here?"

"I'm not a boy anymore Lar," I said, a bit coldly. "I don't run away from my problems."

"I wasn't saying that," he said, calmly. "But you are running, don't deny it. You're running because you think that's the best thing for Earth."

"Well isn't it?!" I shouted. It felt like a release, a release that shot out across the infinite grayness of space. Since almost the beginning, when I decided to wear the cape and symbol, people have questioned my intentions, and my effect.

"Billions of people die, Lar," I said. "Billions. Because I restore Kandor!"

"I know, I heard the story," he said.

"Then you know they won't, if I don't restore Kandor," I added.

His face softened thoughtfully, and he shrugged. "Maybe," he said simply. "Take yourself out of the equation, it can't be completed. But does that mean you should abandon Earth altogether? That seems pretty extreme."

I shook my head. "It's the only way to make sure it's never restored," I said, softer. "That's what Sherina believes, and maybe she's right. Maybe they're all right."

"Who?" Lar asked.

"The Lex Luthor's and Sam Lane's of the world," I replied. "Maybe I'm, all of us, are doing more harm than good."

Lar cocked an eyebrow. "You don't seriously believe that, do you?"

"I haven't wanted too," I said. "But ever since I first put on the cape and symbol, I've been met with suspicion, resentment, and even fear. I've always tried to do my best, help as many people as I can, as often as I can. But it never seems like enough, and too most people, it's not good enough. There's always a complaint, a criticism, a condemnation, and a plea for more, all at the same time. I've started to wonder if the world would rather I leave them alone; if it even wants to be saved."

"You don't think a man or woman falling off a bridge would want to be saved?" Lar asked.

"If only it were that simple Lar," I said, regretfully. "But its not. Earth is a big world, filled with people both big and small. Everyone has an opinion, everyone has a different perspective, and everyone has their own view of right and wrong. The suspicion, resentment, and fear have always been there, but it was easy to ignore at first.

"But its grown over time, with more and more people joining the yelling and shouting, and I can't help but listen," I said. "It's their world Lar, I'm only a refugee. If I'm truly doing more harm than good, then I shouldn't be there. I shouldn't interfere."

Lar nodded sympathetically, but his face was unmoved. He looked at me, then turned to Earth, staring and studying it silently, before turning back to me. "Come on," he said, motioning for me to follow him before he started to fly towards Earth.

I hesitated again, and this time he was firmer.

"I think you need to see some things," he said. "And we should hurry. I'm pretty sure your friend Batman isn't wasting any time."

He took off then, flying through space nearly as fast as I did. Surprised, I began to follow, and caught up to him a few moments later.

"Lar…?" I said, about to ask if where we were going.

"We're going to Earth," he said, as if he knew what I was going to ask.

"Lar," I repeated, this time disappointingly.

"Don't," he said, holding his hand up. "We won't be going to see anyone from the Justice League. We're going somewhere else, a few places actually."

"Where?" I asked again.

"You need to see some people," he said. "I think you need to see what you've done."

**The Fortress of Solitude**

The Fortress' doors swung open slowly revealing a dark and ominous chamber behind it. They stepped inside, and all hell broke loose.

"Make your way - ughh - to the anti-chamber!" Bruce shouted while dodging a long, violet, tentacle that lashed at him from the darkness.

Barry dashed to the side, up onto the walls, and overhead before landing on the shoulders of a large behemoth with several eyes, and hundreds of long, spindly, legs. "Gees, nice welcoming committee!"

"Where are the lights?!" Arthur shouted as he sprung off his trident and leapt onto another creature with rough skin, three maws, and seven horns protruding from its skull.

"I don't know!" Caelus shouted, crossing his arms in front of him to deflect a razor sharp claw. "They came on before when I just walked in."

"They're trying to escape!" Barry shouted as the creature he had landed on was trying to throw him off. "Keep them from the light."

The only light poured in from the open doors behind them. A few moments ago, to the amazement of them all, including Bruce, Caelus had opened the doors to the Fortress of Solitude using a plain looking, but solid gold, key. He explained it weighed over a ton, and only someone with a Kryptonian's strength could lift it.

Once the doors were open though, they were met by a herd of exotic alien animals, who began to attack them at once.

Arthur lifted his trident, aiming his points towards the back of the creatures skull, but stopped as a firm hand gripped it over head.

"Try not to hurt them," Diana said, not releasing Arthur's trident until he relaxed his arms. "Superman takes care of them," she added. "Because like him, they're worlds have been destroyed."

Barry tapped into the Speed Force and began running around the base of the creature he'd landed on. He twisted and turned his way through its legs, causing them to stumble over each other, and finally collapse. Then, he saw a creature bounding towards Caelus, who had hung back with a very panic stricken Dr's. Mickelson and Day.

Barry began dashing back and forth across the darkened hall, creating a barrier with Speed Force lightening which was erupting off him with each pass. The creatures flinched and stirred, leaping back defensively with each crack of lightening that sprung off him.

Caelus grabbed the two scientist, and leapt over Barry and the creatures. Landing safely behind them, Caelus immediately dashed down the hallway towards the lift, Mickelson and Day carried in his arms.

"This way!" Bruce shouted, who had somehow managed to slip past them into the dark hallway, stood beside an open hallway.

There were four creatures in all, and they were doing their best to avoid their attacks and keep them away from pursuing Mickelson and Day, and escaping into the open world.

Barry hung back, standing between the creatures and the open doors, while Arthur and Diana tried distracting them on the other side. Outside, the wind was howling fiercely, the sky was erupting in thunder and lightening, and the sky had turned as dark as a night without the moon. Yet the creatures seemed to know beyond the doors was freedom, a freedom Barry knew they could not be afforded, as they would tear anything in their path's apart.

He made quick dodges from afar, near their legs, letting his lightening spark against their legs, frightening them backwards. Each time they his lightening cracked near them, they began to thrash their limbs wildly and bellow loudly.

When enough distance of a gap between the open doors and the creatures had been created, Arthur and Diana joined Barry to herd the creatures towards the opening Bruce was standing near.

The creatures were funneled together, and drew themselves into a frenzy. They screamed, howled, and thrashed wildly, striking indiscriminately at whatever they could see, including each other. When they had reached the threshold of the opening, Bruce leapt in front of them, a batarang in hand.

He threw at their feet, and it exploded into a cloud of dark smoke. He quickly withdrew another batarang, and sent it high over head, where it stuck overhead, and blinked harmlessly.

The creatures, however, all cried out even louder, stumbling over themselves and their own legs, before they scrambled into the hallway as if a predator was on their heals.

"Aquaman, the door," Bruce said, pointing to a crystal control panel next to it.

Arthur lifted his trident and hurled it. It struck the panel a moment later, and a door quickly shut, trapping the creatures behind hit.

"Again, where did they come from?" Arthur asked, angrily while retrieving his trident.

"I told you," Diana said. "Their nearly extinct aliens from other worlds. Superman looks after them."

"But how did they get here?" Arthur asked.

"Lionel." Barry turned to see Caelus. He was walking towards them, Mickelson and Day close behind. The two doctors were trembling, but holding fast to the devices in their hands. "After he stabbed me he dropped me into the Menagerie level," Caelus continued. "I couldn't fight them, there are much to many."

"Lionel doesn't know how to activate the Fortress' defenses, does he?" Bruce asked.

Caelus shook his head. "He is familiar with the Kryptonian language, and the basic theory behind their technologies. I'm guessing he sent those creatures to greet us here, only to delay us at best."

"Then we better hurry," Barry said.

They dashed towards the lift that would take them to the Anti-chamber. When Caelus stepped onto the platform, the crystal's lit up.

"I'm guessing the Terraforming engines are consuming most of the power, but at least we have some here," Caelus said, before the platform began to descend after he pressed in a crystal.

"Should we assume that's all Lionel will throw at us?" Barry asked.

"Probably not," Caelus said. "He's been planning this operation for several years, meticulously and obsessively studying each of you. He knows your powers, fighting tactics and trends, and also…your weaknesses," he added, darkly.

"Our priority is the Phantom zone," Bruce said. "That means you two…" he pointed to Mickelson and Day, "…start working on it as soon as we clear the anti-chamber. The rest of you, be prepared for atmospheric changes. Air density and oxygen percentage, structural vibrations, even the force of gravity. Superman also has a collection of alien artifacts and weapons. Their technology is far advanced from our own, so be ready."

Barry noticed a cold look in Diana's eyes. He'd only seen that look a few times before, and it was right before Diana went into a battle she expected to fight her fiercest. "He's only human, no different than any other arrogant man we've faced before," she said.

"He may be human, but he's more dangerous than he looks," Caelus said.

"Sure he is," Batman said as the platform descended and he reached into his utility belt and withdrew several batarangs. "But so are we."

The anti-chamber was covered in long shadows. It was quiet, quiet and cold, quiet and cold and still. The only light seemed to come from a Kryptonian consul filled with those Kryptonian Crystals Barry was growing more and more curious of. There were was a viewing area above it, where what appeared to be holographic images were flashing across it.

Barry saw Bruce put a finger to his cowl, no doubt activating his night vision as the platform descended into the open air. His eyes drifted right, then left, before he whispered softly, "Flash, Wonder Woman, go."

Barry dashed off the platform, racing down the side of the walls and around the perimeter of the anti-chamber. Diana took to the air, circling around overhead, searching through the darkness for any sign of movement. Arthur, Caelus, and Bruce remained on the platform, standing around Mickelson and Day, until it reached the bottom a few moments later.

Barry dashed from dark corner to dark corner, behind every statue, chair, consol, the Speed Force lightening causing the long and dark shadows to dance wildly before he returned to the platform.

"Nothing," he said with a shrug.

"I found nothing as well," Diana said as she landed next to him.

"Then lets get to work," Bruce said, pulling several small devices out of his utility belt, and handing one to each of them.

He twisted one of the ends, and light came forth. The other's followed suit, and followed Bruce as he made his way towards the consul.

"What about Lionel?" Caelus asked.

"He's not here," Bruce replied simply.

"Shouldn't we be searching for him?" Arthur asked.

"We don't have time, we have to focus on Superman, we'll deal with Lionel later," Diana said.

Barry ran ahead to the consul and had a good chance to study it before the others. The viewing area above the crystal filled consul was an erratic mess. Light was flickering, flashing, waving and dancing throughout the viewing area, sometimes materializing into cohesive images before rapidly deteriorating into a colorful collage.

Bruce was there next, and stared at it ominously. Behind him were Mickelson, Day, and Caelus, while Arthur and Diana hung back a bit, facing the darkness, sword and trident at the ready.

"I was wrong before," A giddy Mickelson said. "This is where you have to have comic con."

Beside him, a timid Dr. Day gripped his portion of the Proto-type Phantom Projector tightly. "Um, where's the uh, the thing, the uh…the thing, the mirror thing."

"Over there," Bruce said, pointing his light over his shoulder.

The mirror was standing against one of the walls near the statue of Jor and Lara-el, Clarks parents. To Barry, it was almost disappointingly plain looking, save for the Kryptonian markings around it permitted. However, true to its description, there was a large crack running across its surface.

Mickelson and Day reached the mirror and got to work, with Arthur nearby. Barry turned back to the viewing area and frowned.

"Caelus," Bruce said. "Can you read any of this?"

Caelus looked at the viewing area and narrowed his eyes. "No," he said. "I'm actually not very fluent in Kryptonian. They were…never very trusting of my family, due to our heritage."

"If you ask me…" Barry said as an image of the Eastern seaboard materialized for a split second before melting away into waves of random light again. "…this must be what static looks like on Krypton."

Bruce's head shot up for a split second, before he dashed behind the consul. "Damn!" he shouted a moment later.

Barry was beside him a moment later, and shared the sentiment.

The consul had been ripped open, a hole seemingly blown in its backside, revealing a jumbled mess of brightly colored crystals. However, they were all thrown about carelessly.

"So that's his game," Barry said. "He damaged the consul so we can't shut down the Terraforming machines, then he split."

Bruce stood with a grunt, and stormed away from the consul. "You two," he barked at Mickelson and Day. "Is it ready."

Mickelson had assembled the pieces and Day was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, with a laptop open on his lap.

"Well its like the one up there was saying," Mickelson said.

"We need a power source," Day added

Bruce looked back towards the consul, his teeth clenched tightly beneath his cowl. Diana walked up behind him.

"You had a power source in mind, didn't you?" she asked.

"Of course I did," he snapped. "I was going to interface the Fortress' power system the Phantom Zone projector. But Lionel's seen that can't happen."

"He's been two steps ahead of us this whole time," Arthur said.

Barry zipped from behind the consul next to Bruce and Diana. "Let me try. Maybe I can generate enough kinetic energy through the Speed Force."

"Even if you were able to vibrate that fast, it would cause this whole Fortress to crumble down on top of us," Bruce said.

"Then let's take it to Central City, and the Cosmic Treadmill," Barry said.

"We don't have time, if we don't reverse the Terraforming soon, we won't be able too at all," Arthur said.

"At least we could get Superman back," Diana said.

There was a slam behind them. "Damn it!" Bruce shouted.

Silence swept over the anti-chamber. Bruce was standing over the consul, clutching his fist tightly and taking long, heavy breaths. Barry exchanged uneasy looks with Diana and Arthur, before going to Bruce.

"Hey, Wonder Woman's right," Barry said, carefully. "At least we could get Superman out of the Phantom Zone."

"Millions are going to die," Bruce said through clenched teeth.

"Then we better get…"

"There's nothing, we, can, do!" Bruce said, angrily. "He thought of everything."

Barry bit his lip as the words he was about to say slipped away from him. Bruce was one of the smartest people he knew; he always knew what to do, could always think of something. He'd never seen him give up before, never seen him act so defeated.

"He didn't think of everything," someone said behind them.

Barry turned, as did the others. It was Caelus who was standing near the consul, looking at the images trying to materialize in the viewing area.

"The power you need is here, in the Fortress. You just need a way to channel it into your projector. I can do that."

"Whoa wait," Barry said. "That's gotta be at least…well I don't know, but a lot."

"Nothing could withstand that much energy, not even you," Bruce said, his eyes narrowing beneath his cowl. "It _will _kill you."

"It might," Caelus said, regretfully yet confidently. "But I came back in time - we came back in time - too prevent death, not cause it. All this," he said, motioning above and around him. "What's happening outside, what's happening to the polar ice caps, what will happen to millions, is because of us, because of me. I need a chance to set it right."

Diana stepped before him, gazing long and hard into his eyes. "And you would be willing to die for this?" she asked.

Caelus nodded.

A few moments later, Mickelson and Day had assembled the Phantom Zone project and interfaced it with Superman's mirror. Caelus was standing ready, one hand holding a pair of wires running from the projector, his other held over a group of exposed crystals from the consul. They were glowing brightly, pulsing with a form of energy unfathomable to humans.

"You don't have to do this," Barry whispered. Bruce was standing away from the others, watching silently as every set to work. Diana and Arthur were with Mickelson and Day as they made the final preparations. "We can find another way."

Caelus swallowed, then looked to Barry. "I told you before," he said softly.

"Ok, we're all set here," Mickelson said, giving a thumbs up over his shoulder.

Caelus nodded, and Barry noticed a calm and serene feeling fall over his eyes. "I said I wasn't your enemy, Mr. Allen. And this is how I'll prove it."

He reached in and grasped one of the crystals. Barry leapt back as Caelus' entire body began to glow as the energy from the Fortress coursed through him.

Caelus shouted in agony as the energy ripped through him from the Consul into the Projector. Barry cringed, seeing the pain it was causing him, but the efforts he made to hang onto both the wires and crystals to keep the power flowing. His Kryptonian biology was allowing him to withstand this much energy; but Barry reminded himself he was only half-Kryptonian, and not nearly as strong as Clark.

"Power levels rising rapidly," Dr. Day said.

"A few more moments," Mickelson added.

Mickelson turned the device on, and it began projecting a strange light towards the mirror, which began to glow. The mirror flickered and flashed. Before, it had reflected nothing but a strange, thick, grey fog which seemed to stretch on indefinitely. But now it was different. There was something behind the glass; something hollow, empty, incomplete.

Caelus cried out again and fell to his knees. Barry turned and gasped. Caelus was barely holding on; his body nearly reached its limit. Yet he kept his hand in place, allowing the power to surge through him.

"There, we got it!" Day shouted.

The Projector emitted a bright flash, the Mirror glowed fully. Caelus released the crystals and the wires, and collapsed, where Barry dashed to his side a moment later.

"How is he?" Arthur asked, arriving at Barry's side a moment later.

Barry listened closely; Caelus' breathing was shallow, and he could only find a pulse in his neck. "We need to get him to the tower!" Barry shouted over his shoulder.

But nobody responded. Mickelson and Day were pouring over their computers; analyzing data and readings they would probably never have access too again. Diana was standing between Caelus and the Mirror, looking between them both. Bruce, meanwhile, was standing in front of the Mirror.

Although he tried to hide it, Barry could tell from his crossed arms and tense shoulders, that Bruce was worried. Again, it was a side Barry hardly ever saw. And as Caelus remained unconscious, and the Mirror glowed ominously Barry couldn't help but wonder; if Bruce was worried, should they all be worried.

**The Phantom Zone**

"Look here Cal," Lar said.

We've come back to Earth, to America, to Metropolis. Here, the world looks like a dead husk; mottled, grey, and blurry, like an old used cocoon. With my super hearing, I can still hear the people below us, but mostly only as muted mumbling as if we were underwater.

However, looking up, I can tell it must be a nice a day. I'm guessing the great ball of white above is the sun, and a few blurred blobs of grey must be clouds. There isn't many of them, which means its only a partly cloudy day, and plenty of sun is falling from the sky to the surface below

Lar flies through mass of grey buildings and streets with a familiarity of someone whose been here many times before. I'm following him closely, though reluctantly, because he's my friend, and I suppose I owe him.

He said he wanted me to see something; to see something I'd done.

"Lar," I began.

"Not too much farther," he said. "Just up ahead."

We flew into an old warehouse district. The place is full of long abandoned buildings that were once occupied by hopeful small businesses or manufacturing companies. Now, its bleak and empty; degraded over time by vandals and thugs, and only used for the kind of business you don't want anyone else to know about.

He came to halt above one of these abandoned building. It has several rows of windows, many of them broken and shattered, and a large open area of concrete with train tracks running right through it. Lar motioned me over, looking down through the open and shattered windows.

"I like to check on them once in a while," Lar said. "To see how they're doing."

"Check on who?" I asked.

He smiles and points down. "The people you've saved."

I look, and through the windows to see a man. He's sitting at a bench leaning over something. I can't see what, but a mess of flickering pale light tells me he must be welding. A moment later, the flickering stops, and the man takes off his welder's mask.

I immediately recognize him. "John Henry Irons," I said. "He helped me when Brainiac bottled Metropolis."

Lar nodded. "He used to work for the Government, for General Sam Lane. He was one of scientist on the "Steel Soldier" program."

"Yes, I remember," I said, glumly. "He was there when Lex captured me."

"And tried to torture you," Lar added.

I nod, remembering the day clearly. It was in my early days, before I'd met anyone else on the Justice League, before I even had the Kryptonian biotech suit. I had been trying to stop a run away subway filled with people, including Lois and Jimmy. I stopped the subway, but was captured at the same time, by Lex.

"At first John was just a regular scientist who'd been contracted by General Lane to create a weapon with his genius, and take home a nice paycheck for his trouble," Lar said. "He didn't know if you were really the threat Lex Luthor and General Lane claimed you were; and he didn't care either. But after he saw you save that subway, and how they tortured you, he quit on the spot."

"I guess I didn't know that," I said.

"Later, when John Corben went on his rampage using the suit he'd designed, John put on the other prototype he'd made." (All this in Action Comics: Superman and the Men of Steel).

I watched as John flipped down his welding mask and begin again. I remembered the day vividly, and found myself smiling fondly. "The first thing he did was hold up the bridge that nearly collapsed after Brainiac shrunk New Troy. Later, he uploading a virus into Corbin which shut him down. He'd never fought a day before in life."

"He's just a normal human," Lar said. "Until he puts on that suit. Then, he becomes something more. He still works along side you to help Metropolis you know." I looked at Lar, who was nodding seriously. "Not right by your side like that day, but around here," he said motioning to the warehouse district.

"He does?" I asked, skeptically.

"In his own laboratory, mostly. He doesn't work for any conglomerate now, but by himself. And when he's not putting on the Metal-O suit and fighting against urban violence, he's working with cybernetics, to build people up, not destroy them."

The flickering stopped, and John picked up the piece he'd been welding. It was shaped like an arm; a cybernetic arm that appeared almost futuristic in its design. John looked it over several times before nodding in satisfaction, and placing it in a small wooden crate.

"That must be worth a fortune," I said.

"Probably," Lar replied. "But he's going to give it to a young girl who lost her arm during the Atlantis Invasion, probably for nothing more than it would cost him to buy groceries for a week."

My mouth drops open. "How can he afford that?" I ask.

Lar shrugged. "Guess he has some benefactors and suppliers who believe in what he's doing," he said. "You see," Lar said as we watched John speed off. "You saved the city from Atlantis, and he is too, in his own _way_, with the gifts _he _has."

"He's a good man," I said.

"Sure is," Lar said. "But only after he saw _you _risk your life to save that subway, and Metropolis from Brainiac."

With John gone, Lar took off again, beckoning me to follow.

We weaved in and out the sky scrapers, towards the great grey ball I knew was the sun. I could imagine its warmth radiating against my skin, replenishing and filling me with strength. But I couldn't feel anything in the Phantom Zone.

It was mid-day, and Lar flew away from the skyscrapers and downtown sector to the quiet neighborhoods near the outskirts. Lar set himself down on the top of a local church where we could see several neighborhoods. It was - peaceful and relatively quiet, the only sounds coming from birds chirping and children playing.

Lar smiled and laughed quietly. "Ahh youth," he said blissfully. "Just content to play and pretend, a simple life, simple and innocent."

"I thought the youth of this generation was wasting its time in front of TV's and computers," I said, another smile creeping onto my face. I don't get to see a lot of kids playing; not with my job as a reporter and my life as Superman. My smile fades however as I notice how they children are playing They were running around as kids do, yelling and screaming, some with friends in their backyards, some on the local playground, and some by themselves, or perhaps with their imaginary friends.

Many of them had towels tied around their necks, and were running around with their arms in front of them, making strange noises that sounded like airplanes diving though the sky.

"Maybe some of them do, but not here," Lar said, shrugging. Then, he nodded towards a pair of kids who were climbing through a shabby tree fort. "Listen closely Cal."

I cocked an eyebrow, but did as he said. I strained my hearing, fought through the muffled noises of the Phantom Zone, and focused on the playful bantering of the children below.

"Faster than a speeding bullet!" one shouted, before taking off and running as fast as he could through his yard.

"I can leap tall buildings in a single bound!" shouted another from atop the roof of his tree fort.

"I came from out there…" shouted another, pointing to the sky above. "…to save the world, again, and again, and again, and again!"

I bit my lip and looked away. "Lar…"

"Did you ever play as a kid? You know, in your parents fields, all alone."

Despite myself, I crack half a smile. "Yeah," I said, shaking my head slightly. "I use to pretend I was a galaxy traveling rebel space pilot with a large furry -thing- as a side-kick. That was my favorite movie, you know…"

"Yeah I know the one, I've seen plenty of people watching it," Lar said, laughing. Then, more seriously, "So why did you pretend to be him?"

I sigh, looking back at the kids. "I don't know, he was brave, bold, heroic I guess."

"Mhmm," Lar said. "They're out here all the time you know, pretending to be you."

I sighed and hoped Lar would stop right there. He didn't. He laughed loudly then, and said, "Alright, alright. Ma and Pa Kent hammered that whole modesty thing into you pretty hard, didn't they. Let's just move on then."

"I don't think I need to see any…"

"Just one more," he said, lifting himself into the air. "I promise."

I followed, but as Lar began heading back towards the city, I stole one more glance at the kids. I used to love playing as a kid back home, in the fields, by myself. I could pretend I was anywhere, and be anyone, and do anything. It was really one of the few times and places I felt I didn't have to be careful, I didn't have to hold back, and for just a few moments, in a tiny place, in an otherwise lonely childhood, I could just…be me.

One of the kids stands on the roof of his tree house, a red towel tied around his neck blowing softly in the wind. He stands tall, puts his hands on his hips, and as I fly farther away, I hear him shout, "When I grow up, I'm gonna be SUPERMAN!"

Moments later, we were back in the city which was busy and bustling. The sounds of kids playing were replaced by the muffled sounds of car horns, train whistles, brakes squealing, and a quiet hum of people chatting.

"I could show you endless amounts of people you've saved over the years," Lar said. "Some of them are John Henry Irons, and decided to live a life worth saving. Other's, not so much. But I'm not trying to show you a score board or pump your ego."

He flew close to the ground, close to the people. Not the big shot executives, quick talking politicians, important figure heads, or famous athletes and musicians; just people. We're close enough that I can see the expressions on their faces and hear them talking either to each other or on their cell phones. It seems strange to me, and then I realize I'm flying closer to them now, as a phantom, than I ever allow myself too normally.

"I've found most people on Earth don't have the luxury to worry too much about the latest international incident, whose with who in the world of the rich and famous, or even scandals of your worlds leaders, " Lar said. "They worry about the grades their kids are getting in school, the price of gas, their retirement savings, and if they'll still have a job next week.

"They have to get by; month to month, week to week, day to day, doing the best they can to make the most of what's been put in front of them. The world can feel pretty big sometimes; big, and overwhelming."

We stop outside a small, shabby, but well kept apartment. Lar settles himself in front of the balcony, and I drift in beside him.

"The work day is almost over," Lar said. "She should be out in a moment or so I'm sure."

"She?"

The glass door slides open, and a woman walks out. She's dressed in more casual clothing, with ripped jeans and a t-shirt with some bands name on it. She looks tired, but happy, setting a satchel bag down on a patio chair and sitting in the one beside it where she can stare off into the city. Her hair is dark, but streaked with several shades of purple and pink. And when she pulls it back to put it in a pony tail, I tilt my head curiously

"Recognize her?" Lar asked.

"I …maybe…" I said.

"A few years ago she was a young college student, a troubled college student," Lar said, seriously. "One day, when you were nearby, she was on the phone with her therapist when…"

"She thought her therapist had hung up on her," I said, remembering now( All-Star Superman). "Her name is Regan, and she thought…"

"She was going to jump, Cal," Lar said, seriously. "But she didn't. She didn't because you found her that day. And now, she's finished college and is working as a youth councilor. Mostly, she goes out of her way to talk to people who are struggling in the same way she was. Regan finds people looking over the edge, like she did, and you know what she tells them?"

Regan took a sip of her coffee and brushed a stand of hair which had fallen in front of her eyebrow pierced eyes. She looks the same today as she did then except for… well I don't know how to describe it, except maybe as an aura.

"She tells them the same thing you told her," Lar finished.

I glance to Lar, then back to her. I remember Regan, but not very well. I remember hearing her as she was talking on her phone to her therapist. As Lar said, she thought her Therapist no longer cared about her, had abandoned her. I'd found Regan on a rooftop, staring at the busy streets far below. She was scared in so many ways. Scared to walk out her front door, scared to look at her homework, scared to call her mom and dad.

"What did I tell her?" I ask Lar.

"Something simple," he said. "First, you told her her therapist had actually been delayed. Then, you told her its never as bad as it seems, and that she's stronger than she believed."

I remembered fully then. I didn't catch Regan out of the air, I didn't pull her back from the ledge. I just talked to her.

"She felt so small and insignificant that she couldn't believe you came to her on that ledge," Lar said. "She couldn't believe you, who has the powers of a god, would take the time to just be a regular person, and talk to such a small and insignificant person like her.

"You didn't have to punch out a bad guy, melt someone's face, or contain an explosion. You only had to show her that the world isn't as big as we sometimes imagine, we're never as small as might think, and we all have the strength of a Superman."

A timer from inside beeped, and Regan folded up her newspaper and went back inside.

"Do you get it now Cal?" Lar asked.

I sighed and bite my lip. "I'm really happy John and Regan are doing something good with their lives, helping other people," I said. "But what are their good deeds worth against Billions dying? What if the best thing, for the most amount of people, is for me to leave?"

Lar shook his head, and lifted himself into the air again.

"You can sit there and stare at a cosmic scale all you want," he said. "But there's always going to be evil in the world, evil which threatens life."

"I know," I said as we flew past the city limits and out into the country side. "But the future Sherina comes from is easily prevented. All I have to do is remove myself, and it never happens. Earth would be safer, and billions who are destined to die will live."

"Sure, until Brainiac comes back," Lar said, seriously. "Or Darkseid, Mongul, Zod, the Multitude, or Rao knows how many other galactic threats are out there you don't even know about yet.

"Yes, sometimes our good intentions have terrible outcomes," he continued. "But that's the price of free will. Nobody is omniscient, nobody can tell you with absolute certainty what consequences come with our decisions, and nobody has the benefit of looking into the future and seeing the results of their actions.

"But in this case, I do," I retorted.

"But you can't look into the future and see the consequences of you remaining here," Lar shot back. "Sure, you could remain here forever, never having to make another decision for the rest of your existence. But wouldn't that be a waist of your abilities?"

We were soaring across the American heartland then. Endless of fields of gold and green stretched for miles and miles, interrupted only by the occasional road or farm. Out here, there's nothing to hear but the soft blowing of the wind, which sounds the same in the Phantom Zone.

"If I go back, I have to restore Kandor," I said. "Now that I know its possible, I can't just leave them there. They have a right to live out their lives as well, and I'm the one the responsibility falls too."

Lar shrugged. "You're right, but the people of Kandor have been in that bottle for a very long time, and can stay there for a very long time to come."

Lar veered northwestward then, and soon we were out over the ocean. "Earth isn't ready for Kandor, that's why Sherina's future occurs. Until they are ready, her future is possible."

"But one day they will be ready," he said. "I'm sure of it."

I smirk. "I thought you said we couldn't look into the future?"

Lar shrugged. "We can't, but look at the signs around you. Humanity is constantly changing; gradually, little by little, through triumphs and tragedies, falling only to pick themselves up again."

I cock an eyebrow, and Lar nods.

"Nobody simply changes. Nobody wakes up one day and suddenly finds themselves enlightened," he said. "They have to look both outwards and in. They have to reach out and grasp onto that which they can be, then bring it within and know and believe in their hearts and minds what their potential is."

He stops then, just before we're about to cross into the northern arctic zone. Behind us, the ocean is rolling softly, and I can tell it's a bright day by the way the sun is glinting off surface. But my eyes are drawn ahead. Ahead, there is nothing but blackness. A rolling, sweltering kind of blackness that seems to be growing.

"This is a beautiful world Cal, and right now, it needs you."

"What's happening up there?" I asked, looking ahead.

"Come on," he said. "I'll show you."

He dashed ahead, and I followed quickly. We flew through dark clouds which caused the grey matter of the Phantom Zone too became even murkier. I began to hear soft whipping and spattering noises, which I guessed were heavy winds along with thunder and lightening. There was soft pattering below which was hail. We were flying through a storm, a fierce storm.

We passed over several small Eskimo villages where the people had all gathered inside. They would be safe for now, but not for much longer if this storm continued to build.

It took some time before we reached a clearing in the winds and clouds, a place I guess was the eye of the storm. The murkiness decreased, and my eyes flew open wide. We had come to my Fortress.

"What's happening?" I shouted. Though we were in the eye of the storm, the wind was still blowing fiercely, and even as phantoms, we had to shout to hear each other.

"One of the others who came from the future," Lar said. "He's using the Fortress to melt the polar ice caps."

"What!" I shouted. "How?! Sherina…"

"Sherina doesn't know," Lar said. "I think this one is acting on his own." We flew closer, hovering just above the tallest spires. "Cal," he said. "If those polar ice caps melt, millions are going to die."

We passed through the walls of the Fortress into the Anti-chamber. There, I saw my friends. Diana, Arthur, and Bruce, and a few others I didn't recognize. Two were standing over a lap top, and another was screaming in agony as held onto some wires connected to a device. His other hand was placed on my consul.

"What's he doing?" I asked, alarmed.

Lar nodded. "I think they're trying to open a doorway, for you."

"But that much energy could kill him!"

"They need you," Lar said.

The others were keeping their distance, except for Bruce, who was standing very close to the mirror. I watched intently as the one channeling the power suddenly collapses, and the mirror ignites. A bright light appeared on our side then, like a tear through reality itself.

On the other side, I can see with clarity, color, and depth. I can also see Bruce, and I back away.

"Cal…" Lar said.

"I can't go back," I said. "Not if there's even the tinniest risk Sherina's future could occur."

"If you don't go back, millions are going to die, today!" Lar said.

My frustration boiled over. "Lar it's not that simple!" I shouted.

"No, its not," Lar said. "It's never been simple and it never will be. You'll never be able to save everyone, and you'll never please everyone. But you can't quit, you can't walk away."

"Then what should I do?" I asked, my chest tightening.

"Show them Cal, Clark," he said. "The politicians tells them what they _want _them to be, a god tells them what they _have _to be. But a hero is different; a hero _shows _people what they _can _be."

I heard a whisper then; a whisper from the other side, from Bruce.

_Come on Clark. _He was whispering, whispering knowing only I could hear. _We… we need you. I… need you._

I sighed then, and felt as though a heavy burden was falling on my shoulders. Lar was right, I couldn't run. I have to go back, I have to fix what's been done by my Fortress, my home. I still don't have an answer, I'm not sure if I ever will. But right now, there are millions who need me, millions who only I can help. I can't turn my back them.

"Thank you Lar," I said, turning to my friend once more. He nodded simply, but he wasn't smiling anymore.

"You're going back?" he asked.

I nodded, tensely. "I promise I'll find a cure for you soon," I said, just before turning to the rift.

"Don't worry about me," he said. "I have all the time in the world, and they need you more than I do right now."

I turn to exchange one final nod, but something catches my hearing. It's muffled and dull, but unmistakable, even through the thunder and wind outside, and could only belong to one source. From the gradual increase in volume, I know its heading towards the Fortress.

Without exchanging a final goodbye, I dash through the rift.

**Metropolis**

Lex stared with his hands folded behind his back at the viewing screen. He was humming softly to himself, aware of the numerous sets of eyes piercing into him from behind. However, they were not his concern at the moment, the viewing screen was.

The screen was showing the projected outcomes of the Polar Ice caps melting at their current rate. Judging by the continually swelling of deep red across the coasts of six out of the seven world continents, global disaster was imminent.

Lex had been staring for quiet some time, taking his time, and calculating how long it would take before disaster would become irreversible. It had only taken about ten minutes for General Lane's impatience to finally win over.

"Damn it Lex!" he shouted, slamming a fist into the table in front of him. "You're wasting our time. I thought you said…"

"Michelangelo took four years to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the great Sphinx of Giza took over ten years to build, and it took Tolkien the better part of fifteen years to write the Lord of the Rings," Lex said, calmly.

"I'm fascinated you have the time to know that, but we don't have…"

"My point is…" Lex said, raising his voice slightly. "…have patience!"

"You said you could help!"

"And I can, and I will," Lex replied. "Perhaps if I'd been at your side these last five years where I belonged instead of being cooped up in a rat's cage, we wouldn't be in this position."

General Lane grunted. "I did everything I could."

Lex turned and smiled. "I', sure you did, General. Though I would have appreciated your company from time to time to know I'd had your support. But yet here we are," Lex said, turning back to the viewing screen. "And unfortunately one does not simply press a key on a keyboard to turn off Kryptonian technology. It takes a bit more than that."

In the monitor's reflection, Lex could see the tension rise. Good. Reaching into his jacket, Lex patted the device there. It was the last gift Lionel had given him, and perhaps the greatest.

The device was, to put it crudely, a remote control. With it, Lex could simply press a switch, and through a signal sent through a subspace channel no technology on Earth could detect, the Terraforming engines would shut down.

The trick now was to wait for the right moment for maximum impact.

That, and there was one more variable Lex wanted to see play out.

As if on que, Lex heard a door open behind him. An angry voice accompanied the chorus of steady footsteps as several people filed into the room.

"General Sam Lane!" said one, particularly irritating voice. Through the reflection, Lex could see the General roll his eyes before turning around.

"Anthony Cartwright," Lane said, in a rather monotone voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been sent to ensure you're following your orders," Cartwright replied, tensly.

Lex smirked and contented himself to watch this scene play out. He'd only heard of this Cartwright character recently, a new player in Washington who preferred pulling the strings from behind the curtain rather than clear out in the open.

"I have my orders, and we are prepared to follow them," Lane said. "But we will follow them at my discretion…"

"Why are you hesitating?!" Cartwright said, placing his hands on his hips and sticking his chest out. "I thought you were fully committed to Operation Arctic Storm."

"I am," Lane replied. "But only as a last resort, and with approval from the President."

Cartwright's face turned red and he nearly shouted. "We are at the last resort! We have no way of stopping this Terraforming process, so we must destroy it. Furthermore, our satellites were able to see the rest of the Justice League enter the Fortress before they lost visual…"

"So you think you can take them all out in one shot, huh," General Lane said.

"And you know as well as I do the President must be kept out of this," Cartwright continued. "He can't be seen giving direct approval to this kind of strike. It must seem like a…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, it has to appear like a preplanned contingency so he can deny any involvement," Lane replied. "It must be so convenient to have a military to take the fall for you."

Cartwright sneered. "I'm glad you fully understand the situation them, General," he said snidely. "Now, are you…"

"What exactly is this - Operation Arctic Storm - you speak of?" Lex said, turning slowly to face them.

By the look on Cartwright's face, Lex knew Cartwright must not have noticed he was there. The draining color told Lex he wasn't too happy about it, either. Lex smirked, knowing for the moment at least, he had the upper hand.

Cartwright stumbled slightly. "I'm not… that's classified, and you're suppose to be in prison."

"Classified," Lex repeated, in feign mockery. "Listen …uh, you…" Lex said with a dismissive hand gesture. "I was here when this facility was built, and I know about the two large packages kept in the sublevels. Now, I'm guessing whatever your Arctic Storm operation is involves them, right?"

A vein popped on Cartwright's forehead as his color returned, then became a shade of red. He pointed a finger at Lex's chest. "That is…" he began through clenched teeth.

"Yes, they are," General Lane said, grabbing Cartwright's outstretched arm and throwing it down. "Operation Arctic Storm involves firing a 2-ton nuclear warhead at Superman's Fortress of Solitude, if it should ever become a threat."

"General!" Cartwright shouted.

Lex cocked a cynical eyebrow. But inside he was leaping for joy at the opportunity this presented.

"So, you want to destroy the Fortress of Solitude?" Lex asked.

Cartwright's neck veins began to bulge too bulging. "As the General said, only as a last resort. We'd like too…"

"They want to see if Superman would allow them too inspect the Fortress first," Lane said, rolling his eyes.

Lex laughed. "Really? You think you can either make the most powerful being on the planet show you his private home, or you think you can destroy it. If that's so, then that only leaves me with one conclusion."

Cartwright stopped. "What?"

"That you're an idiot," Lex said, turning back to the viewing screen.

In the reflection, Lex saw Cartwright clench his fists. He smiled. This couldn't have been going any better.

Lionel had a good plan to bring glory to his family they rightfully deserved, but he didn't know the best way to accomplish it. Lex however, did. If Lex was going to not only stop the impending disaster and show the world the danger of Superman, he needed to receive credit for it as well. And to do that, he had to work within the system.

Right now, Lex wasn't a part of the system. In fact, the system had declared him a criminal, an evil criminal, as if people could be classified as easily as night and day. That was five years ago though, and as with everything in politics, the pendulum had swung dramatically since. The honey moon was over with the meta-human's, and an opening had been created.

Lex would have to be taken in by the Government, and he would do so by proving himself an asset. Like all things, they would try to control him, as they tried to control the Meta-humans before, and Lex was content to allow them to believe they were in control.

It would all be worth it in the end. The world would finally see he'd been right all along, and would look to him for leadership in the coming years and inevitable conflicts with meta-humans.

"General Lane," Cartwright said. "We don't have time to waste. I order you to arrest this man and proceed with Operation Arctic Storm as were your original orders."

"Listen Cartwright, I don't take orders from you," Lane replied, angrily.

Lex's smile grew from ear to ear. The opportunity had presented itself, just as he knew it would.

"No wait General, perhaps he's right," Lex said, turning. They both stopped and looked at him intently. "A nuclear strike won't do you any good, but it'll make a good distraction."

The General nodded slowly in understanding. Cartwright glanced between them both.

"In fact," Lex said, turning back to the viewing screen. "If they're all up there, fire them both."


End file.
